Kernock Park Plants have announced the sad news that Mark Taylor, the company's Business Development Manager, has passed away following a five-year battle against cancer.

"It is with great sadness that I inform you that Mark Taylor, our business development Manager at Kernock Park Plants passed away last Tuesday," said Managing Director Bruce Harnett.
 
"As many of you will be aware, Mark was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2012.

"His prognosis was not good from the outset, but it is great testament to Mark’s attitude to be a cancer ”thriver” rather than simply a “survivor” defying medical logic and continuing his life as normal as possible, with many not knowing he was ill.

"Mark enjoyed Christmas surrounded with family and friends, but unfortunately contracted pneumonia which under chemotherapy he was not able to overcome, passing away peacefully on Boxing Day.
 
"Our thoughts are very much with Mark's wife Sharon and his family. He was well respected and loved within the industry and is likely to be most remembered for his great sense of humour and wit, an aspect which will be missed enormously."
 
If you would like to share your memories and make a donation to the local charity (Penny Brohn UK) that Mark recently raised money for during a 10k run, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bruce-harnett2
 
The funeral will be held on Thursday 18th January 2018 at 14:00, Weston Crematorium, Ebdon Road, BS22 9NY. The family welcome all those that knew Mark to pay their last respects, but please be aware that there is limited space within the crematorium.

Two stalwarts of the UK garden centre industry, Colin Squire and John Athwal have been awarded OBE's in the New Year's Honours list.

Speaking to GTN Xtra yesterday Colin Squire said; "I'm humbled, thrilled and overawed by the award."  John Athwal from his annual holiday in Goa said he was "absolutely stunned."

Chairman of Squires Garden Centres, Colin Squires' award for services to the Horticultural Industry and to charity, comes after a lifetime working in the family business that started in the fifties when left college in Kingston.  Squires celebrated 80 years as a limited company in 2016 and are currently modernising many of their 15 centres.

Jarnail Singh Athwal, Founder and Managing Director, Premier Decorations Ltd. Was awarded his OBE for services to Business and charity.  

John comments: “Receiving an OBE in the Queen’s 2018 New Years Honours list is a fantastic tribute and I am overwhelmed to have been recognised and nominated by colleagues and peers. Life has not always been as easy as it is today; having arrived at the age of eight in the UK in 1961 with my parents from very humble beginnings in Punjab, I have embraced the opportunities this country has offered me, and it only feels right to give a little something back to society.”

John’s entrepreneurial skills unearthed at college at just 17 years old, where much against his parents wishes, he formed a business with a friend as a music promoter hiring bands for the local town hall and student’s union. His parent’s disapproval of this venture, which involved late nights and selling alcoholic beverages going completely against his Asian culture, led John to run away from home – a decision that he now regrets because of the worry and anxiety it caused his family; but which also altered the course of his life.

As a self-confessed workaholic, John landed a job as a trainee manager in a filling station and, in the days when these generally only sold fuel, recognised the potential to stock add-on merchandise such as jackets, briefcases, garden accessories, bread, milk – in fact anything that caught the customer’s eye. This business model proved so successful that it expanded to filling stations across the country and having been promoted to marketing manager John approached  the board of directors to establish a business wholesaling non-petrol products to other filling stations. At the business’s peak it was selling to 2,500 filling stations in the UK.

At the age of 29, John was appointed to the Board of Directors and established an importing  arm for the company, and a couple of years later,  a friend approached John with an order to supply Christmas decorations to Asda – as his friend did not have the funds to fulfil the order himself. Travelling to factories in Taiwan and discovering the considerable excitement involved  in this type of product, John decided that this was where his future lay. He formed Premier Decorations Ltd – the UK’s first Christmas brand and one which remains a market leader for this type of product today.

This year, Premier Decorations will celebrate its 30^th birthday, while John celebrates his own 65^th birthday. Although he no longer works full-time in the office John is still an ever-present figure in the company, supporting his staff and guiding the company strategy. He concludes: “Professionally I think that I have achieved most of my ambitions – and receiving an OBE really has to cap it all. I will continue to be active in both my business and charitable work, but also look forward to spending more time in the future with my wife Jito, children and grandchildren.”

Retail Excellence has announced Rachel Doyle as the third ever Lifetime Achievement Award winner (and first woman to win) at their 20^th prestigious retail awards event held in The Malton Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry. 

Rachel Doyle, a graduate of horticulture, is the proprietor of Arboretum Garden Centres in Carlow and Wicklow, a Board Member of An Bord Bia and a former President of the International Garden Centre Association (IGCA).

CEO of Retail Excellence David Fitzsimons said “This is only the 3^rd time ever in the history of the Retail Excellence awards that the Board of Retail Excellence voted to bestow a Lifetime Achievement Award on a very special person, Rachel Doyle of Arboretum”.

“She is a woman who has achieved hugely both in her business and family life and has managed to hold some of the highest positions in the Garden sector both within Ireland and internationally. Despite all of this, she remains one of the most encouraging and affable individuals I have ever met so it is fair to say she has her feet firmly planted on the ground”.

“The first recipient of this Award over 15 years ago was Patrick Hanley, a man who grew up in Tipperary and went on to forge a magnificent retail career culminating in his appointment as CEO of Harvey Nichols. The second lifetime achievement award recipient, the award presented 10 years ago, was world renowned retailer and former Senator Feargal Quinn. So, it gives me great pleasure to bestow this honour on Rachel who deservedly follows in the footsteps of such luminaries.

“Rachel’s family and the staff of Arboretum should be rightly proud of tonight’s achievement. Despite being around the retail industry for some time I continue to be inspired by the brilliant commitment and innovation of Rachel in all that she does.”

“I want to commend her for instilling the highest standards of service and engagement in her businesses and for continuing to be a great colleague, advisor and advocate for the industry” said David Fitzsimons, CEO, Retail Excellence. Arboretum were also up for two other awards; Liam Kenny was up for Manager of the year and also Best New Website of the year.

Peter "PJ" Davies, the boss of Bunnings Homebase in the UK is to take a 3 month period of leave in mid January according to newspaper reports over the festive period.

On Friday 29th December, the Guardian ran the business headline: "Homebase boss opts for three-month time-out back home in Australia."  The story went on to suggest that the decision will raise eyebrows in the city following comments by new Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott last November that they had made a mistake by changing the Homebase management team and product ranges too quickly when it took over the UK chain last year.

In the story "PJ" is quoted as saying: “I’ve been away from my family in Australia for three years and I want to take a break and I’m going to take a break."

Indications are that Damian McGloughlin, who joined from the rival DIY chain B&Q this year, will be stepping up as acting managing director.

Read the full story in the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/29/homebase-boss-opts-three-month-break-back-home-australia-bunnings

Woof! Newshound here…back and straining at the leash. So what’s cooking? The boss says people who’ve have had their ears to the walls at Wyevale GCs HQ reckon there’s something interesting about to break.

Well, I know and you know there’s always something interesting going on down there but given that the walls at Fortress Wyevale are notoriously sound-proof, news doesn’t often leak out, does it…yet, what if there’s a mole…?

Anyway, let’s rewind for a mo. It’s more than five years now since Terra Firma bought the 126-centre Wyevale chain for £276m. At the time, the group (then trading as The Garden Centre Group) was being run by Nicholas Marshall. Six months later, Marshall resigned after four years as chief executive. He will have got to know Terra Firma’s chairman, Guy Hands, during the run-up to the acquisition.

Fast forward to 2016: Terra Firma joins the bidding as Tesco puts the rival 34-store Dobbies chain up for auction…but loses out to Midlothian Capital Partners/Hattington Capital. Had it been successful, Wyevale would have had enough critical mass to excite the wider investment market, possibly even with a flotation.

Eight months later, Dobbies recruits Marshall as chief executive. Within weeks, Marshall brings a string of trusted former Wyevale colleagues who had been ousted in Terra Firma’s purge into the Dobbies fold in key positions. So the team that knew the Wyevale group inside out is now running Dobbies. Interesting, no? Some of them will have friends who still work on the inside at Wyevale…

Meanwhile, Wyevale Garden Centres is having a torrid time, forced to negotiate £100m of re-financing following losses of £122m reported in its 2016 accounts.

From now on, we are told, Wyevale Garden Centres, under its new-look leadership team headed by Roger Mclaughlan, will adopt a new strategy…dedicating more time to serving and advising customers. Like successful independents do, then? “We need to make the company more customer focused than it has historically been,” Mclaughlan is reported as having said.

So these are surely clear signals that a re-structured, re-focused and re-financed WGC is being groomed for the market – and it’s fair to assume that Terra Firma will not want to wait too long to get the business off its Hands once the financials improve.

Hence the ears to the walls at WGC HQ as we wait for the For Sale sign to go up.

Dobbies’ backers will be aware of this. Could they be tempted to make a move on WGC, a business of which Marshall and his team have a uniquely intimate knowledge?

It would create a group with full national reach from Cornwall to Invernesshire, capitalisation to attract further investment – and a management that currently appears committed to retaining plants and gardening as its primary raison d’etre.

At the age of 67, Nicholas Marshall could well be up for one more special ‘David and Goliath’ challenge.

Wooff woof! Yes it’s me, your industrious (and occasionally industrial) Newshound reporting for duty.

You’ll be wondering if I found much to set the tail wagging at this week’s gathering of the supply chain at Fortress Wyevale. I’ll be honest…they wouldn’t let me in. Didn’t like my credentials. The cheek! I didn’t ask to see theirs.

So I’ve had to resort to sniffing the turn-ups and hemlines of the summoned horde of 100 or more after they streamed out of the Holiday Inn near Syon Park HQ from what was billed as a progress update. We can’t name names, because we promised, but we know them all and they’re not robots.

Nobody was crying, I can report, so for CEO Roger Mclaughlan and his team, it must have gone well.

“Excuse me,” I say to a man who looks to me like the chief executive of something important, “what did you think of what you heard in there?”

“Strong team,” he nods. “They’re all good individually.

“They still have a challenge in cascading direction to the rest of the business. It was well-presented plan – improvements in all areas of the business are planned.

“I still think their challenge is how do they drive footfall into the store. You need to be ‘known for something’ and I think they still aren’t quite sure what it is.

“That said, doing the basics better should give them a little bounce in 2018.”

Moving down the line, I home in on a smiling face that looks as though it liked what it heard. It was a useful meeting, he thought, clearly aimed at reassuring peoples, even though they have seriously reduced the number of suppliers they’re listing. “For those who are still trading with them, knowing they are working on things is good.”

They mentioned they were selling off  “a load of excess stock”, but politely refrained from blaming anyone…

And they mentioned how things like the new Epos system and streamlined IT and mobile phone purchases will all help the business to run more smoothly.

Your Hound liked the sound of that more than what he heard next. Apparently, at one point the suppliers were invited to join in a football crowd style chant which went something like: “We are Wyevale, Wonderful Wyevale, Wyevale of the Park…”

How did that register on the Cringe-ometer, I wonder?

Anyone hoping for spectacular revelations on the day would have been disappointed, it seems. “To be honest, there wasn’t anything especially controversial or secretive presented – essentially an honest and interesting summary of their ongoing plans and initiatives,” said another trouser-leg. “The main points were the new finance facilities already widely reported, wider adoption of the distribution centre along with some inevitable supplier consolidation, local empowerment, new recruitment, focus on serviced and so on…”

I’m getting the drift. All positive, then? “Extremely,” said another turn-up (although it could have been a hemline). “I was impressed by their optimism and enthusiasm for the business. It has given me as a supplier more confidence that they are on the right road and have the bank’s support to move forward.

“I am not prepared to divulge detail but in reality it’s not that important. It was: a) this is where we’ve got to so far and b) this is where we are going next. And the desire to form strong partnerships with suppliers.”

So there we have it, my little kennel keepers. I can’t say the tail is wagging wildly, but at least it’s still holding up.

The final 12 candidates in the Rising Stars class of 2017 have been announced.

There was friendly rivalry at both the Westland/GCA Rising Stars North and South masterclass earlier this month, when all presented the results of their projects to the group, showing they have driven sales across spring as a result of their learning.

A total of 12 made it through to the third and final masterclass in October where they will bid for a place in the final, taking place at the GCA Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon from January 21-24.

The final candidates (in no particular order) are:

Northern Group (above)
1. Andreea Robertson – GardenWise
2. Jack Moyers – Barton Grange
3. Jayne Scott – Klondyke Daleside
4. Sarah Postlethwaite – Fron Goch
5. Emma Blackmore – Bents

Southern Group (below)
1. Mathylda Mucha – Millbrook
2. Jack Shilley – RHS Wisley
3. Tora Cook – Perrywood
4. Clark Lambert – Garsons Titchfield
5. Lisa Collingbourne – Squires Twickenham
6. Alexander Cawley – Squires Stanmore
7. Samantha Davis - Haskins

Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director from Westland Horticulture said: “This is the time of year when the competition really starts! Already the Rising Stars are achieving big successes for their garden centres and this will only continue as we move into the third and final stage.”

Ian Wylie, Chief Executive of the Garden Centre Association said: “The Rising Stars Programme is all about developing the talent in the garden centre industry for its continued success. It is great to see them already putting their new found knowledge into practice at their own garden centres with great success.”

Ian Boardman, IBBIS director and training facilitator for the group said: “The standard was very high – with lots of learning and many examples of large sales increases. Managing time and communication became the secrets to doing well in their projects.”

The owners of a Hornsea Garden Centre have been fined for selling items which "posed a serious fire risk" to customers.

The garden centre, part of the British Garden Centres group, was found to be offering furniture and cushions which did not meet fire safety requirements.

Trading standards officers visited the firm's East Yorkshire premises in December, and found a large display of upholstery which did not have appropriate labelling.

When concerns were raised about this, the company claimed it could provide evidence from its suppliers to confirm they were safe, but was eventually unable to prove they were legitimate.

A grey upholstered dining chair, a leather dining chair and four cushions were seized by the authorities from Hornsea Garden Centre and failed flammability tests by independent inspectors.

Company secretary Phillippa Stubbs admitted the company did not have procedures in place to check the labelling of products before the items were put on sale.

The firm was prosecuted alongside two of its suppliers, Coventry-based Mosley Trading, and Orchid Designs from Huddersfield.

Michael Robinson, director of Orchid Designs, told officers that his firm supplied cushions to stately homes and the Queen. He claimed in interviews that he had "misread the guidance" and assumed that the material used did not need testing before items were put on sale.

Jane Mosley, of Mosley Trading Company, also admitted no physical checks were carried out on upholstered furniture and they had relied solely on factory supplied test reports.

Woodthorpe Hall Garden Centre Ltd pleaded guilty to nine offences at Beverley Magistrates Court and was fined £18,000, plus costs of £3,782.

Mosley Trading Company was fined a total of £2,000 for each of eight offences committed, and told to pay costs of £3,615.54.

Orchid Design Ltd was fined £1,250 for each of two offences committed and told to pay costs of £3,325.76.

Wyevale Garden Centres has issued its 2016 Annual Report and Accounts to include a detailed update on the new business strategy. It has also announced the successful refinancing of external bank debt facilities, which stabilises the capital structure enabling the leadership team to focus on delivering the new strategy, centred on building a better business for customers.

2016 financial and operational highlights

• Overall footfall has increased year on year with 46.5m visitors coming to our GCs
• Revenue is up 5.5% year on year at £328.3m
• Horticulture accounts for 30% of revenue
• Gardening accounts for 34% of revenue
• Home & Leisure accounts for 17% of revenue
• Food & Beverage accounts for 19% of revenue
• Like for like sales decreased by 2% in 2016 but grew in the second half of 2016
• Gross margin reduced by 1.8 percentage points due to higher clearance activity as legacy inventory issues addressed
• Operating costs increased due to acquisitions, additional rental expense from sale and leaseback transactions and investment in people, including impact of National Living Wage
• EBITDA down 31% year on year at £29.1m

New strategy update

WGC’s strategic priorities are focused on building a strong foundation at the core of the business.  As well as delivering a more compelling customer proposition and experience, WGC aims to achieve its strategic goals by investing in people, upgrading systems and controls and improving the supply chain process.

The management team aims to a deliver best-in-class retailing experience that offers greater choice, value and quality to customers. Having been in place for a year, CEO, Roger Mclaughlan, and CFO, Anthony Jones, have already introduced a number of new initiatives to improve customers’ experience and the Group recently achieved its highest net promoter score to date, a critical measure of customer satisfaction.

So far in 2017, WGC has seen early signs of progress following the implementation of the first phase of its strategy as the business has returned to like-for-like growth.

Justin King, Chairman of WGC, said: “2016 was a transitional year.  In order for the business to achieve sustainable growth a change of strategy, and a change in the leadership team to implement it, was needed as a critical first step. During 2016 the team made significant progress in setting out this new strategy and in dealing with legacy issues, particularly stock. I am pleased to note that this progress has continued throughout the year and with the successful completion of the debt refinancing, we now have a more stable capital structure to support the business’ needs.”

Roger Mclaughlan, CEO of WGC said: “We have spent a lot of time over the past year in gathering in-depth customer insight and feedback from colleagues across the business. At the heart of our new strategy is enhancing our customer experience by focusing on building and strengthening the fundamentals of our business. There’s been a significant shift in our financial priorities away from acquisitions and other capital intensive growth initiatives to investment in the core infrastructure, systems and processes required to develop a scalable and sustainable platform to underpin the Group’s future growth plans.”

 WGC’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 25 December 2016 can be found at https://www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/cms/about-us/corporate/

Wyevale Garden Centres appeared on a list published by the Daily Telegraph of what it says are some of the worst companies to work for in the UK, based on ratings on the job site Glassdoor.

The Financial Ombudsman, Laura Ashley and Ladbrokes were also among those fingered in the article.

The website offers company reviews curated by employees.  The Telegraph browsed dozens of company profiles on the platform and randomly selected, in no particular order, 10 that had a rating of 2.6 out of 5 or less. The average overall rating across the site is 3.3/5. The paper stressed they were not the 10 worst rated firms on the site, but a randomly selected sample.

Wyevale Garden Centres scored 1.9/5 on Glassdoor, with employees citing poor pay and lack of staff. One employee wrote: “Personally I do not feel I am going to have an opportunity to excel in anything other than customer service despite showing dedication to the company."

Others, though, say the atmosphere is friendly and the staff hardworking, with generous benefits and a 30pc discount when shopping in store.

A Wyevale Garden Centres spokesman said: “Colleague engagement is critically important and we actively encourage two-way feedback across the business. We are committed to creating an environment that supports all our employees and recognise the need to get things right for them in order to deliver the best for our customers.”

See the full list at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/07/04/10-worst-companies-work-uk-according-employees/

Sad news has reached the GTN Xtra office of the death of Alistair Lorimer last week after a long battle with cancer.

Alistair was involved in the UK garden centre and plants industry for over 30 years, learning his core retail skills within the innovative Jardinerie group.

He gained a certificate in Strategic Management whilst at Malcolm Scott Consultants and worked closely with garden retail clients throughout the
UK, Ireland, USA, Middle East and northern Europe.

He became the Buying and Marketing Director for the Blooms of Bressingham Group where he was closely involved in the development 
of Bicester Avenue, the first UK garden centre ever to achieve the Retail Week Retail Design of the Year Award and Retail Destination of the Year Award.

Blooms was sold to the Wyevale group in March 2007 after being built up to 10 centres with annual sales of £30m and a staff of over 400.

Most recently Alistair had been providing consultancy services for both retail and plant breeder clients worldwide.

No news is available about funeral arrangments at present.  We will publish those when they become available.

Our thoughts on behalf of the industry go to his family and friends.

If you'd like to add a personal comment about Alistair, please use the comments link below or send to trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk


From Boyd Douglas-Davies, CEO Hillview Garden Centres:  "Really sad to learn of Alistairs passing. I've known him for many years and have great respect for everything he achieved in the industry. He's wisdom and encouragement will be sorely missed. I owe him a lunch and now I'll forever be in his debt, for many reasons."

From Carol Marks, Development / Marketing Specialist, Horticulture, Bord Bia, Dublin:  "I am so very sad to hear of Alistair's passing. I had the pleasure of working closely with him over more than ten years, as he carried out the assessments for the Bord Bia Garden Centre Quality Awards, and through the many workshops and seminars he presented to the Irish horticulture industry for me."

"His philosophy of always providing commercial, profit focussed and practical support to garden retailers was always delivered with enthusiasm, humour, honesty and integrity, and he was highly respected and liked by all those whose path he crossed. While he was unable to travel over the last two years, I had kept in touch by phone and email to check in. He was always so pragmatic and so positive."

"A true gentleman, a huge loss, He will be greatly missed.  Our thoughts, on behalf of the gardening industry in Ireland, go to his family and friends."

Recent press reports indicate that the rising costs and poor harvests of Growing Media in 2017 are forcing manufacturers to hike up their prices for 2018.

The reports also suggest that these higher costs are in-part due to many of these products coming from overseas. It blames increased freight costs, environmental costs, as well as wage increases of 10.4% in Ireland alone, due to the minimum wage rises being implemented, and so it goes on...

It doesn’t help either, that by shopping abroad, UK companies are forced to trade in euros. So what is the answer we ask ourselves?  

Well, for one UK supplier of quality Growing Media it really is quite simple. You simply switch to a UK supplier like us, Durston Garden Products.

Family owned Durston Garden Products has been operating in Somerset for over 150 years and is now being run by fifth and sixth generation members of the Durston family.

This Great British company offers everything a Retailer or Garden Centre Buyer requires when it comes to supplying Compost and Growing Media related products, and its benefits include:

• Extensive range
• Home produced compost
• Excellent quality
• Added nutrient Gro-Boost technology
• Bagged in state-of-the-art packaging facility in Somerset
• Loaded onto Durston Lorry
• Delivered anywhere in England and Wales within 5 days from receipt of order
• Extremely price competitive

All this year, Durston Garden Products has been Flying the Flag for a BUY BRITISH campaign and all for a very good reason.  It generally believes that as BREXIT negotiations continue to take shape; that now is the time to start shopping closer to home. Not only will you save yourself all the stress, and  often logistical nightmare that goes with the lengthy process of  shopping overseas but that you will also find it can be much cheaper too.

Whilst many other Growing Media businesses are facing rising costs at different stages of the supply chain; due mainly to products being imported, British based Durstons can not only offer more competitive prices, but it can also guarantee delivery of its products to anywhere in the UK within five days of an order being placed – now that’s got to be a good thing!



The other good news is that Durstons are also committed to keeping their prices for 2018 at the same rate as those in 2017, so it really is that simple. Equally, and unlike some of the other companies mentioned in the reports of having poor peat harvests , Durstons are keen to point out that their harvests for 2017 have been
un-affected.

“Like many things in our lives," says company spokesperson, Dan Durston, “It’s a case of returning to the old ‘Tried and Tested/Back to Basics methods we used to use. We are applying this methodology to so many other areas of our lives, such as cooking and gardening, so why not apply it to our business methods to."

The Bunnings Warehouse garden centre area at their pilot St Albans store provided plenty of new ways of displaying plants and products as well as some surprising new product lines and new suppliers to the UK market, when GTN Xtra made a visit yesterday.

There are not any traditional plant benches, instead creative use of concrete blocks and metal shelving form tiered plant displays from the floor right up to eye level, with bold hand written price labels.  “We are aiming to be the lowest price retailer,” they told GTN Xtra.

Colour blocked displays of pots surround the plant area, which has a wider range of plants than stocked at Homebase previously with garden sundries also outside in the covered planteria.

An extensive growing media sales and storage area is adjacent to possibly the widest range of garden decoration/landscaping products we’ve seen in either DIY stores or garden centres.  Creative screening, tiled options for play areas, new ideas for vertical growing.

The Bunnings buying team have clearly been working hard to find product differentiation.   Whites and The Organic Gardening Company from Australia are the most prominent new suppliers, along with products from UK based Sprout Gardening (their barcodes relate to Apollo Gardening).  They are backed up by products from Westland – Smart Ground Cover in stock, Scotts Miracle-Gro – Black Magic Potting Compost on display, Briers, Mr Fothergills, Hozelock, Kelkay, Elho, Outback, Landmann, Panacea, Veg Trug, Fiskars, Spear & Jackson, Qualcast and Stewart.

Inside the store it has much more of a warehouse feel.  High shelving units packed with products and even BBQ’s and spa baths displayed up high above them around the edges.

As for prices, Bunnings are making a 10% lower guarantee, refunding the difference and an extra 10% of anyone buys the same product elsewhere.

Staff, as ever make the final difference when it comes to customer service.  At Bunnings St Albans yesterday there were staff everywhere, possibly three or four times the number you’d have expected to find in a Homebase previously.  With a big focus on training – the number of badges on their aprons indicates the in house and supplier training courses they have completed – some of the staff present were on secondment from other stores getting ready for the next stage of the roll out.

GTN now looks forward to re-visiting the store as the season progresses.  In the meantime enjoy our photo gallery below…

Reports circulating online sources this week suggest that life is not getting any easier for Terra Firma’s Wyevale Garden Centres operation, which is facing re-structuring and re-financing after disappointing earnings.

The 149-centre chain’s latest review of retail operations, appears to restore a previously abandoned reporting procedure involving a team of regional managers instead of a north and south area set-up.

In a statement, retail operations director David Anderson (right), who was appointed in May, announced changes to his leadership team designed to “deliver excellent customer service and improve retail standards, whilst also providing support and development to colleagues in centres”.

Chris Brannigan, who has been with WGC since 2007, has been promoted to director of garden centres and will lead the transformation agenda. The Area Manager roles are being axed, and replaced with 11 new regional managers. Anderson says many of the existing area managers are being retained as regional managers, and recruitment is under way to fill existing vacancies.

Jeremy Byfleet, who joined the business in January 2014, will assume the newly created role of director of central operations and customer services. Like Brannigan, he will report to Anderson.

Elizabeth Oddy, previously regional operations director, takes on the newly created role of head of horticultural development, reporting to Brannigan. Oddy has more than 16 years’ horticultural experience with WGC, and will be tasked with driving commercial performance and horticultural excellence in the marketplace. Recruitment is currently under way for a new head of retail visual, “who will ensure our centres reach their full potential as inspiring places to shop and will bring consistency across our estate”.

Anderson added: “The new structure and the appointments we have put in place provide a fantastic opportunity to build on WGC's past successes. Through working together as one team, we'll deliver exceptional service to our customers and give our colleagues the support they need to reach their full potential.”

WGC offered no comment on reports that it had launched a key time working initiative designed to deliver a workforce that can react more flexibly to seasonal and weather variations. One online trade publication source suggested the company was looking for more part-time contracts.

Meanwhile, insiders confirmed reports that Wyevale is negotiating a refinancing deal before it publishes its annual accounts (usually filed at the end of June) by the Companies House deadline of 30 September. New auditors KPMG are reported as saying the accounts are being finalised but, again, WGC declined to comment.

Meanwhile, further reports suggest WGC has been struggling to meet its sales targets and is exploring ways in which it can hit its EBITDA goal of £34 million.

With cash clearly tight, the recently-revealed sale of Handcross Garden Centre in West Sussex for development following a successful planning application, will generate much-needed funds.

WGC said work on the A23, which had left the site with no direct road access, had affected sales. The site will close on 24 September, with 24 jobs affected. Observers say two more disposals are on the cards.

Wyevale Garden Centres’ results published last week suggest that the problems facing parent Terra Firma as it strives to turn the 149-centre business around ahead of a planned sale are even greater that most people feared.

WGC announced losses of £122.4m for 2016 – a garden centre industry record – most of it sustained in the first half of the year, on revenues of £328.3m, up 5.5% on 2015. The losses were mainly due to a £51.3 impairment of fixed assets and a £20m write-off of old stock.

A process of transition is under way, with new leadership, new ERP and EPoS systems, a new supply chain strategy and a shake-up in employee relations, all now backed up with £141.5m of re-financing to oil the works. Sources believe the current year’s performance is more encouraging and CEO Roger Mclaughlan, who took over in spring last year, says he is happy with a pattern of like-for-like growth.

WGC’s lack lustre past performance is at odds with the increased profits being reported by other leading garden centres in mixed weather year.

The Garden Centre Association’s barometer of trade in September showed year-to-date growth of 4% for members who submitted figures, despite mixed weather, prompting Gary Carvosso, MD at Coolings Garden Centre, to declare that “overall so far 2017 is shaping up to be a great year for core gardening and catering yet again”.

The most revealing aspect of the annual report is the admission by the CEO that the previous management team’s approach to growth – largely prioritising acquisitions – was “ultimately unsustainable”.  As a consequence, WGC now says it will not be going shopping for more centres just yet, although it may re-join the acquisition trail when the business is back on track. That news will disappoint a few key independent garden centres about to post ‘for sale’ notices - but all eyes will be on the WGC measures designed to make a difference on the shop floor where it matters most.

Instead, Mclaughlan, who has visited more than 100 of the group’s centres, spoken to around 2,000 employees and listened to hundreds of customers, is keen to re-focus on getting the core the business right.

He says the customer research programme has given him a great insight into what customers value and expect from a Wyevale Garden Centre. “We have already implemented a number of short term actions to improve our customer experience,” he said. “Our customers are commenting positively on these early changes as reflected by the group achieving its highest net promoter score to date, a critical measure of customer satisfaction.”

Woof woof! Me again… all four legs working and raring to go. But where does your old faithful Newshound start scratching?

Enough of Trump (there are other snooker players) and Brexit (which means what, precisely?), there must be far juicier bones to chew on, if only one could find the right trail…

Hang on, what’s this? A hastily scribbled Post-it from ’im upstairs suggesting one should be pointing one’s tracker kit northwards in the region of Liverpool and Edinburgh.

Liverpool…home of the Premier League’s current top goal scorers… but I guess the boss isn’t sending me to watch football. Merseyside also happens to be the home turf of B&M, those very cheap (or should one say ‘best value’) and just as cheerful discounters who have opened more stores in the past year than I’ve had hot dinners. (Sorry, boss, but you forgot the tripe again).

And Edinburgh? That’s where Dobbies the garden centre chain lives, under shiny new management, now including the not-so-new Mr N Marshall (of whom more later), who in the past week was installed as the CEO to replace John Cleland.

So what have they got to do with each other? Well, here’s a clue. A certain Knight of the Realm who once ran Tesco, which once owned Dobbies, is now chairman of B&M (tee-hee, it’s Leahy!). And the word on the street is that the buyers from Dobbies and B&M have been working closely together of late. Coincidence, that, wouldn’t you say?

Now, it could be, of course, that they just like taking coffee together. But I have a teeny weeny hunch they might be more than just café society pals.

Let’s see…Dobbies needs to be able to compete with the big boys at Wyevale GCs, who operate more than four times as many garden centres and enjoy the extra buying clout that goes with them.  Meanwhile, B&M, whose revenues sailed past £2 billion a year ago, operates from 533 UK stores, having opened at least 34 in the past year (one loses count) and signalled an ambition to get to 850 in not too many years from now.

Now that carries the kind of buying clout Dobbies could make use of, not to mention the two massive distribution centres in which B&M might have a spare sq.m or two right now.

And Sir Terry Leahy, with his intimate knowledge of both parties, may well have seen how mutual benefits could be engineered.

If B&M also intends to make more of the gardening business in its stores, then staying close to Dobbies could be quite useful (no, make that very useful).

A Dobbies presence in B&M stores where there is not a Dobbies garden centre nearby? A few useful percentage points on the margin for Dobbies when buying core brands?

Who knows…I don’t, you don’t….but a resurgent Mr Marshall might be thinking about the possibilities.

Mr M, you will recall, was in the queue for Homebase before the Bunnings acquisition. It’s well-known that he is itching to get back to mainstream garden centre action, having had to let go of The Garden Centre Group (Wyevale ) when Terra Firma flashed the cash.

Sir Terry likes Dobbies (it was he who persuaded Tesco to buy them), and Mr M will quickly grow to love them, I’m sure. If they were to get their heads together, 'Sir Terry meets M' could be a double-act worth wagging my tail for…

For now, though, a lie-down beckons….woof woof!

It was a record breaking Mother's Day weekend for garden centres - official!  Over the course of yesterday and this morning GTN Xtra has been speaking to garden centres across the country and here is the feedback from: Green Pastures, Scotsdales, Caulders, Alton's, Millbrook, Haskins, Stewarts, Fron Goch, Raemoir, Bents, Hillview, Baytree, Cowells, Fresh @ Burcot, Perrywood, Creative Gardens, Klondyke, Waresley Park and Barton Grange.

James Debbage, Green Pastures, Norwich told GTN Xtra yesterday: “It's proving to be a fantastic weekend (at least for March) by the way. We smashed our daily sales record in the restaurant yesterday and today's shaping up to be fantastic in there too.”

Caroline Owen, Scotsdales, Cambridge said: “Yes a very busy weekend certainly 100%+ up on Mother’s Day weekend last year and very positive comparing Easter Saturday with yesterday.

“Mother’s day trading is always better when the day falls later in the year last year I think it was nearly the earliest and this year nearly the latest in 2019 the day falls on 31st March which I believe is the latest.

“The weather has really helped and this is key and sales are excellent across the whole garden centre plant sales particularly.

“Our restaurant is very busy but we don’t book tables.

“I just would like to be able to open longer on Sundays and as such for Scotsdales Bank Holiday Mondays will always be our busiest days but that of course is a bigger issue.”

Caroline later added “Just to let you know that today (Mother’s Day) has been our best day revenue wise for our Sunflower Restaurant.”

Colin Barrie, Caulders Garden Centres in Scotland: “The sun shone with us yesterday (Saturday) and our figures took a sharp increase!  Plant sales this weekend have been excellent, with this weekend really being the first decent one this year for plants and core gardening.

“Our restaurants have been packed full for Mother’s Day - again, the busiest day since last summer.

“Long may it continue!!”

Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre, Wickford, Essex: “We had a very good Saturday considering last year it was Easter Saturday.  Plant dept. up 34% on the day compared to 2016, whole centre plus 10% on same day.

“Our restaurant was plus 28% vs Mother’s Day Saturday 2016.

“You cannot compare exact like for like because of course we were closed on Easter Sunday, but again all those worrying about Brexit yet again forget it.  Weather, weather, weather.

“Although we did not get the supposed heat wave quite a nice 14/15 degrees.  To add in March is a whopping 20% up to date.”

Tam Woodhouse, Millbrook Garden Centres, Kent reports: “It was certainly a record breaking Mother’s Day Saturday.  A bit quieter on Sunday but still amazing.  We were up against Easter weekend last year and the Saturday was 43% up on last year. 

“We were seeing sales across every department.  Brilliant plant sales, great gift sales.  The cafes were really busy – we ran an afternoon tea offer with free prosecco for Mum yesterday (Sunday) and that was great – it is the first year we have offered something like that so we see this area growing. 

“We also ran a Mum and child create a fairy garden workshop on Saturday that was really successful at all 3 centres.  It has been a great start to the season, fingers crossed that it continues!”

Conna Powles, Haskins Garden Centres in the South of England told GTN Xtra: “The sun shone and the customers reacted.  We had great sales in the restaurants being 2% up on last year with Roundstone taking a record breaking £16k!

“Overall for the centre, with restaurants included, the week was +34%, the weekend +40% and Mothering Sunday itself was up a whopping 33%.

“Plants were the winning gift with over 3000 gift wraps (+38% on last year) on houseplants, garden plants and planted containers.

“We always create a Mother’s Day shop and set up gift wrap stations but I think this year the staff did the most amazing job they have ever done.”

Martin Stewart, Stewarts Garden Centres, South of England reported: “The weekend being 3 weeks later has seen it coincide with the start of spring, although the clocks going forward gave us a slower start to the Sunday. A later Mothering Sunday benefits Outdoor Plants, an early one helps Houseplants.

“Over the two days Christchurch was up 18% and Broomhill an amazing 64%.

“Christchurch Outdoor Plants were up 95% and Broomhill 113%. In our game watching a strong plant sales weekend is the most satisfying sight we can witness.

“Coffee Shops, Gifts and House Plants were marginally up in comparison, but overall the weekend growth belonged to Outdoor Plants.”

Justin Williams, Fron Goch, Caernarfon, North Wales said: “It was an excellent weekend. With yesterday being our best ever day to date in restaurant.  We managed 310 carveries in 3 hours. Sales on the day of £7,200 inc vat in the restaurant.”

Eliot Mair, Raemoir, Banchory, Scotland: “Settled warm weather proved to be the perfect conditions for the start of the gardening season. All departments busy. Very positive trading weekend.”

Matthew Bent, Bents, Warrington: “It has been a good day with the overall sales for the garden centre up, but our restaurant is similar to last year as customers were focusing on their garden and enjoying the sunshine.”

Boyd Douglas-Davies, Hillview Garden Centres in the Midlands said: “Excellent week! Started just over a week ago and just got better and better.

“Superb weekend that beat Easter last year by a long way. This is already a record March for us.

“Plants, both Garden and Houseplants had a great week, as did gardening. Particularly pots and compost.”

Nigel Wallis, Baytree Garden Centre, Spalding commented: “Yes a fab weekend for us, sales across the centre were up in every department and catering especially. Saturday was better than Sunday for some reason.”

Martin Cowell, Cowells, Newcastle summed up their performance as: “Well what a scorcher!! Just goes to show how the weather still heavily influences our business.

“Sales Mothering Weekend 2016/2017 +124%, sales same Weekend last year +123%.  Very good weather this weekend.  Last year 5/6 degrees this year 17/18 degrees and Mother’s Day 20 days later this year.

“Our Top 5 Departments Mothering weekend were: Perennials +289%, Compost +242%, Shrubs +200%, Bedding +167%, Terracotta +97%.  All very core gardening.

“In the week leading up to Mother’s Day we saw sale of National Gift Vouchers +206% and Cowell’s Gift Vouchers +153%”

Neil Gow, Fresh @ Burcot Garden Centre gave us this detailed analysis: “We took the decision to close bookings for Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea earlier in the week as we would rather do what we were going to do well, than more but not so well. So I think we can claim to be fully booked!

“We end to look at 5 year averages rather than comparison to "last year” to get a true picture of trade. Given how much Mother’s Day moves around the month of March, in the 5 years there is only 2014 where it came later than this year which was in 2014 when it fell on the 30th March. That year the weather was warm and sunny too so no wonder that was a big year! In that 5 year period there is also 2013 when Mother’s Day was on the 9th March and a week later our road was blocked for 5 days because of the snow!!

“Mothers Day Saturday 2017 was  22.4% up on our 5 year average and 17.75% up on our biggest previous day which was 2014.  Mothers Day Sunday  2017 was 31% up on our 5 year average . So yes Mothers Day Weekend 2017 has been a good one for us being 24.1% up on our 5 year average.       “We also tend to look at whole weeks as being a smaller centre, a big sale or two can distort figures, and you never can tell when a big order comes! Mother’s Day week -  the 7 days trading from Monday to the end of Mothering Sunday – sees 2017 at 25.2% up on our 5 year average.

“March 2017 is to date, also our highest gross turnover in the 5 year period running 19.98% up on 2016 on a like for like basis which by now had also included Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday trade.”

Simon Bourne from Perrywood, Tiptree, Essex added: “Yes, I can echo what others are saying. I haven't run all the numbers yet but it looks like a record Saturday for March and a record day in the restaurant yesterday.

“March will be a record, beating 2014, our previous record comfortably.”


And over in Northern Ireland, Philip Gass from Greative Gardens tells us: "Mother’s Day weekend was good for us – 46.5% increase on last year.  In our favour with it being a bit later this year and also the weather was good. 

"Increases were really across the board, some better sales of higher price ticket items in Furniture and BBQ departments, but also good increases in plants and gardening."

David Yardley, Klondyke Strikes Garden Centres, North of England and Scotland has just given us some highlights:  "Scotland didn’t perform as well as the North of England as we were comparing 7 days against 7 because we don’t have to close on Easter Sunday up here.  

"Overall we were 30.2 % up for the week compared to Easter last year, 27.9% Garden Centres only, 39.1% up in restaurants. Compared to Mother's Day week last year we were up 66% overall, Garden Centres up 90% and Restaurants up 42% with Mother's Day itself up 82% overall, Gardens Centres up 101% and Restaurants up 48%.

"Figures very good at the moment but not getting carried away, still a lot of weeks to go before we can declare it a good season."


Adrian Goodall, Waresley Park, Bedfordshire send us this summary of trading:  "Saturday was a record day in the garden centre, the busiest ever day in March and April.  Sunday was a record day in the restaurant +22% up on Mother's Day last year.

"Our Mother's Day weekend comparison is +122% on last year and March is already our busiest ever, currently running at over +28% on last year.

"Top sellers are plants, furniture, gifts, garden sundries and farm shop.

"We've had an excellent first quarter, long may it continue. Our customers are in a very positive mood."

Russell Winteridge, Barton Grange, Preston tells us that: "Footfall was down 8% Mothers Day Weekend year on year but turnover up 12% driven by leisure and outdoor sales.  We put this down to being completely covered so we tend not to peak and trough as much as most centres. With good weather, the browsers tend to go eslewhere leaving the committed shoppers to enjoy the experience more, therefore spending more per head on average.

"Straight week comparison; the site was up £60k (+20%), leisure up £20k, catering up £15, the rest spread over various categories. Interestingly, perennials showed a massive increase with most other hardy plant categories similar to last year except conifers which took a bit hit."



Did you have a record breaking Mother's Day weekend?  Send us your trading highlights and we will add them to this story.  e-mail: trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or use the comments button below.

The new CEO of Bunnings and Homebase parent company Wesfarmers has confessed to shareholders that the company had made a mistake by changing the Homebase management team and product ranges too quickly when it took over the UK chain last year.

Bunnings' UK and Ireland (BUKI) has reported losses of Aus$89 million (£50 million) in 2017, compared to Homebase earnings of $52 (£29.7 million) in 2015, with sales falling 17.5% in the September quarter. Analysts estimate that sales have gone backwards by 20% since the Homebase acquisition.

Scott (pictured right) said he expected the losses to increase through 2018 as trading remained challenging for Homebase during the continuing conversion of stores to the Bunnings format.

However, sales in the most-recently converted stores were doing well and he was considering accelerating the conversion, although he wanted to see how the new-format stores traded during the “dark months” of the British winter before investing more capital.

 “Our focus is on strengthening the management team to support the transformation and instilling stronger execution across the business. The establishment of Bunnings in the UK will take time and we will be disciplined with how we invest further capital,” he said.

The the parent company has said it recognises the UK market will be a difficult nut to crack in the current financial climate.

Scott is resisting pressure from investors to spin off Bunnings, which generates 30% of group earnings but is estimated to be worth $23 billion (£13 billion), or almost half of Wesfarmers' $48 billion (£27.3 billion) market value

But he conceded that Bunnings' expansion into the UK and Ireland through the $700 million (£360 million) acquisition of Homebase in January 2016 had been disappointing, and a change in tack was needed to restore sales growth and profits.

"Clearly it's not performing as well as we would like," he said.

Scott warned that losses would increase this year as trading deteriorated at Homebase stores and costs were increasing.

While he believed the Bunnings format would eventually resonate with British customers, he confessed that Bunnings had erred by removing most of Homebase's existing management team and changing its offer, including the product range and prices, too quickly.

“We relied too heavily on the Bunnings team and we exited virtually all the local team," he said.

“In hindsight, the team probably moved too quickly to change Homebase and made a lot of changes to clean out a lot of the concessions and clean the stores up with a view towards converting to Bunnings,” Mr Scott said. “But unfortunately we didn't replace those concessions with product and offers that were compelling enough to get customers in the door."

Wesfarmers has strengthened the BUKI management team over the past few months, appointing former B&Q operations director Damian McGloughlin, as COO and former Officeworks chief operating officer David Haydon(left), who has also held senior roles at B&Q and Wickes,  as Homebase's managing director. There are also new merchants and regional managers.

 “It really resonates with customers, and community engagement is very strong, and that gives us confidence the Bunnings offer will resonate in the UK and will be profitable in the UK,” Scott said. “The challenge is that the faster we convert the stores, the more disruption we cause and the more challenging the short-term performance will be.”

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has just announced that CEO, Carol Paris, will be leaving the organisation at the end of April. Carol has served the HTA for seven years in total, as Vice President, President and CEO.

During her tenure as CEO the HTA has restructured to improve member services, acquired and moved to a new Headquarters and restructured the investment portfolio to reduce the risk and volatility of exposure to the stock market.

The HTA has collaborated with many other organisations and was a founding partner of the government Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable, raising the profile of ornamental horticulture in the political sphere.

Carol comments, “I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to serve the HTA. I am confident that as there is now an established senior team in place and a new HQ, it is time for me to move on to new challenges.”

HTA President, Adam Wigglesworth, commented, “My thanks go to Carol for her many years of enthusiasm and commitment to the HTA. We wish her much success in the future. The strong team Carol leaves at the HTA are ready and determined to continue driving membership satisfaction, benefits and promoting the garden industry.”

Dobbies Garden Centres has signed a five year agreement with Speciality Stores, the general merchandise subsidiary of Ocado Group plc, for the provision of online services. These services will enable Dobbies to launch a new online store early next year serving the whole of the UK.

Dobbies will benefit from the technology, software, logistics and expertise employed by Speciality Stores, and its online orders will be fulfilled using Speciality Stores’ general merchandise warehouse. This agreement will enable Dobbies to offer an outstanding online experience, delivering direct to existing as well as new customers across the UK.

The terms of the five year agreement are not being disclosed.

Yesterday on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme Nicholas Marshall said:  "In the whole of the UK the retail industry 40% of all sales are online and growing. Growing all the time. And yet in gardening it is tiny, almost irrellevant and therefore there is going to be a step change and I'm delighted to say that I can announce today that Ocado has very kindly agreed to link up with us and to go online with us which is really exciting because they are one of the best British online companies."

When asked about Ocados inexperience in handling plants he added: "But we are. That's why we can get together with Ocado and become the best online. It's going to take us a few months to get up and running but there is a huge opportunity. Our whole market is £4 billion. If we get to 40% of £4 billion that's £1.6 billion online, ten times our turnover. It's huge."

In a press statement from Dobbies, Andrew Bracey, Chairman of Dobbies who used to be Chief Financial Officer at Ocado said: “In our first year of ownership of Dobbies, we are delighted to announce our partnership with Ocado and its general merchandise subsidiary, Speciality Stores to take Dobbies online across the UK.  Ocado has an outstanding reputation for service and quality. I am confident that together we can grow a very successful online business for Dobbies across the whole of the UK.”

Ocado's subsidary Speciality Stores Ltd owns and operates fetch.co.uk (the pet store) and sizzle.co.uk (the dining store). Fetch and Sizzle offer free next day delivery in one hour time slots of the customer’s choice on all orders over £29.  James Matthews, Managing Director of Ocado General Merchandise, said in the press release:  “We are pleased to announce this agreement which will enable Dobbies to launch a new online service for their customers, powered by our technological and logistical know-how. The expertise we have gained through operating our current Speciality Stores businesses and our Fabled joint venture with Marie Claire has allowed us to provide a compelling service proposition to Dobbies and we are excited to be working with them to help grow their online presence.”

Listen to yesterdays You & Yours programme via this link.

As well as Nicholas Marshall as their star guest, the programme also inculded a live segment from Barton Grange with Guy Topping and a piece about how generation rent is being encouraged to garden which included comments from Boyd Douglas-Davies at Hillview's Burford House Garden Centre.

Here is a transcript of the Nicholas Marshall and Guy Topping sections of the programme:

Winifred Robinson, You and Yours presenter, starts the programme by asking Nicholas Marshall:  "Why do you think it is people are still spending on their gardens when they have stopped spending on other things?

NM: Because gardening is probably the most interesting thing they do in their lives if they are not at work. Everybody has a lovely time in the garden.

Y&Y: It's dry today apart from in the Midlands and the South of England. How important is the weather for sales on holiday weekends like this one?

NM: The weather is the most important determinant and therefore if it is lovely weather, if it gets too hot everybody goes to the seaside and has a nice time, so what you really need is weather where it's not raining but dry and fresh and people can get in the garden and get on with the digging.

Y&Y: So is this good? Is this sort of weather we have here in Salford good? Cool but dry.

NM: Cool but dry, excellent.

Y&Y: Why are they still spending on their gardens when they are not spending on other things? We talk about the lipstick effect in the downturn when you will treat yourself to something little like a lipstick. Does a new plant come into that sort of category or a day out to a garden centre maybe where you will go to the cafe and have a cup of tea?

NM: Yes, I've worked through a couple of recessions and interestingly people cut back, they don't go out to dinner as much, they spend more time at home and if they spend more time at home they then have a look at the garden and go "well we might do a quick trip down to the garden centre to see what they've got". And of course you've got a whole range of stuff in a garden centre from seeds to plants to shrubs to trees, so you're able to cut your budget.

Y&Y: Thanks, we will hear more about your plans for Dobbies later in the programme. There are more than 2,000 garden centres across the UK. Dobbies are the second largest, it has 34. Wyevale is the biggest with 148 so the vast majority are still independents. Samanatha Fenwick is at one the UK's biggest and most succesful, Barton Grange in Garstang near Preston has a turnover in the region of £16.5 million.

Y&Y: This is the main entrance of Barton Grange Garden Centre, it being a bank holiday today there is a harpist here entertaining the shoppers. This is known as a destination garden centre so customers tend to travel for about an hour to get here although some will also travel from further afield. The garden centre is owned by the Topping family, Guy Topping is here with me. Guy can you describe your customer for me?

GT: Our core customer we always say is the 45 plus female and we get all sorts of people in here of all ages but our main customer group are the 45 plus.

Y&Y: They are your core, they've got money to spend as well?

GT: Absolutley. Kids have left home, they want to improve the garden and their environment and they are looking to spend money to do that.

Y&Y: I've been speaking to some of those customers this morning and here's a flavour of what they were saying to me: "We've got 10 plants all together. I spend nearly a thousand every year, I just go beserk." "I come here 4 times a year because we want certain plants at certain times.  We came for some hanging baskets and it's too early, I believe, so we'll be back again next bank holiday." "I've bought trees and a bamboo, I came specifically to buy because of the quality."

Y&Y: We're now in the outdoor plants section. Guy, only 10% of your sales come from plants. Can you still describe yourselves as a garden centre?

GT: Well of course we can. I'm sure as you've seen today plants and gardening are what glue the whole place together and whilst it might only be 10% that's still a lot of plants and throughout the centre it's gardening and plants that are to the fore.

Y&Y: We mentioned that your customers are 45 plus women, do you worry that you need to start getting younger people into your garden centre?

GT: No, not at all. Whilst people are younger they are very busy bringing up families and that takes all of their time and it's only when kids leave home that people start gardening. And that's our customer so we like to focus on that market and there is a ready made conveyor belt of 45 plus people coming along.

Y&Y: And what about leisure, that's also important about drawing people here?

GT: Well it is, we see ourselves as a leisure destination. People come here for a day out primarlily. It's not really a shopping experience although it turns into that and we're about to add some leisure facilities on site aimed at the same market that is going to include cinemas, crazy golf, curling, ten pin bowling, golf simulator, and further catering.

Y&Y: So a further erosion on the plant sales then?

GT: Obviously we are not selling plants over there, we are selling the experience of being here and that's what they come for. They are looking for a day out, something to do and in future they will be able to come and shop the garden centre and then maybe enjoy a film or have a game of bowling.

Y&Y: One very brief final question - there are more independent centres than ones in chains. Do you think that may change? Have you had to face anyone trying to buy you?

GT: Not directly no, we know very well there would be chains that would be interested but there's still planty of independent operators coming along so they are going to keep coming through.

Y&Y: Nicholas, I know you've spent your entire career creating and running garden centres, how important do you think the plants are?

NM: Vital. It's the whole reason people go to a garden centre. Even old people who go there for lunch are actually going because they are going to a garden centre, that's what they want to do. So if their children ring them up and say "what have you done today?" They can say "we've been to the garden centre" which is better than saying "I've just been out to lunch". So actually everybody goes to the garden centre because they like to look at the plants, have a wander around, have a nice time.. yes plants are the essence of a garden centre.

Y&Y: Now when you ran Wyevale they called you in because they were struggling and you very much turned it back to a business that was about plants, the kind of place you could go to if you wanted a particular plant and that was what you wanted. But are plants still the money spinner? If you look at the growth in sales, yes plants up 7% but other sections of the centres are up by even more including things like the food.

NM: Yes you're right. Food and restuarants is very important too. But the heart of the bonfire is plants and yes, when I went into Wyevale they had lost their way and what we did was to bring them back to the core business which was all about plants and that encouraged lots of customers to come in. We grew a gardening club from nothing to 2.5 million people and that shows how much people liked what we were doing. But that's not to say the restaurants haven't got to be really good too and that's something we are going to be focussing on in the future.

Y&Y: But where's the money though? Is it in the restaurants or in the plants? Or is it in the clothes or other food and so on?

NM: I think you can get very distracted by going along other lines and I think a lot of people have come into garden centres from other forms of retail have thought that's what they can do. That they can distract the customer away from plants and into other things where they, the retailer, is more comfortable. And that's the strength of the independents and the better chains, by concentrating on our core business which is plants.

Y&Y: People no longer have to go to the garden centre if they want a particular plant. People who know their plants, probably the easiest place is to go online. You've always been able to go online for specialist growers to send you typically small specimens but now you have online companies who send you big pots of really beautiful things that cost no more than if you took the trip out to the garden centre. So if plants are your thing, isn't a lot of the business going to go online?

NM: Oh I think it is, undoubtedley. At the moment it is tiny. It's actually pathetically small. In the whole of the UK the retail industry 40% of all sales are online and growing. Growing all the time. And yet in gardening it is tiny, almost irrellevant and therefore there is going to be a step change and I'm delighted to say that I can announce today that Ocado has very kindly agreed to link up with us (Dobbies) and to go on-line with us which is really exciting because they are one of the best British on-line companies.

Y&Y: They are not used to handling plants though are they?

NM: But we are. That's why we can get together with Ocado and become the best online. It's going to take us a few months to get up and running but there is a huge opportunity. Our whole market is £4 billion. If we get to 40% of £4 billion that's £1.6 billion online, ten times our turnover. It's huge.

Y&Y: later in the programme - how generation rent is being encouraged to garden... 

Listen to yesterdays You & Yours programme via this link.  

Look out for the May issue of Garden Trade News which includes an in depth interview with Guy Topping.  https://issuu.com/gardentradenews/docs/gtn_april_17_ec2786c379f861

Dobbies Garden Centres Limited has announced that Nicholas Marshall is joining as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.

Nicholas, pictured above with Chairman Andrew Bracey (left) and CFO Graeme Jenkins, has over 30 years' experience in the Garden Centre sector.

He founded and built two garden centre chains, Country Gardens PLC, which was sold for over £120m and Country Homes and Gardens PLC. He was also CEO of Wyevale Garden Centres for four years, taking it from near administration to a successful sale for £300m.

Andrew Bracey, Chairman, commented: “I have known Nicholas for many years. He is one of the most successful leaders the industry has ever seen and we are thrilled that he has joined Dobbies as CEO.

"Since the acquisition from Tesco in July, we have been highly impressed by the dedication, loyalty and hard work of Dobbies’ team.

"With Nicholas at the helm, we feel that Dobbies’ stores will only improve further and we look forward to the forthcoming Spring season.”

Nicholas will be based in Edinburgh and replaces John Cleland (left), who has left the business for family and personal reasons.

Nicholas Marshall said: "I have known and admired the Dobbies’ business for many years, both as a competitor and indeed as a customer.

"I’m really looking forward to working with what I know to be a talented and committed group and I am certain we can achieve great success together for all our customers.

"James Barnes and the team built a great business; I am keen we take it forward in the same spirit.’

The Board of Dobbies said it would like to thank John Cleland for his leadership and commitment to Dobbies at an important time, and wishes him every success in his future endeavours.

Woof woof! No time to ‘paws’ for thought this week, my friends, as the pace quickens at Dobbies now that Mr Marshall is getting into his stride.

Didn’t take him long, mind you. By all accounts, just two weeks in and he had already recruited a dozen senior staff…and some of them will be names you know from Mr M’s last spell in charge at Wyevale/The Garden Centre Group, before the new brooms from Terra Firma got sweeping.

Among those reported to have joined Mr M at Dobbies in his quest for experienced personnel is the former head of restaurants at Wyevale, Costas Constantinou, who will take on a similar role.

Then there’s Andrew West, who, some of you may recall, was head of home and garden at The Garden Centre Group, then joined Hillier garden centres as head of purchasing. He will now be Dobbies purchasing director, apparently.

Lorrie Robertson is reported to be back, too – as chief operating officer, a role she performed as acting CO back then.

Marcus Eyles, who once worked with Mr M at Country Gardens before building up his Garden Store group and selling it to Hillview, is said to be taking over Dobbies online operation.

The developer of The Garden Centre Group’s much-admired staff e-learning project, has also been recruited, apparently to do something similar for Dobbies.

‘Sources’ (a word the President of the US of A hates, I hear) say there are more appointments to come.

Looks like the HR department at Lasswade is going to be pretty busy…

Until the next time, woof….and woof again.

The Sunday Telegraph has revealed today that Terra Firma had to dip into its warchest to buy out £25m of bank debt related to the purchase of Wyevale Garden Centres in 2012.

The story reveals that Wyevale "came within a whisker of breaching its banking covenants at the start of the year after a slump in earnings" and after failing to re-negotiate terms had to buy the debt using funds from their €1bn warchest.

Read the full story using this link

Guy Hands is expected at the Chelsea Flower Show tomorrow (Monday 22nd May) where the Burncoose Nurseries garden is again supported by Terra Firma.

Terra Firma is also a generous supporter of youth charity The Prince’s Trust and use their sponsorship at RHS Chelsea to support the work of the charity. This year’s Prince’s Trust Ambassador, British actress Gemma Arterton, will be visiting the Burncoose stand.

Terra Firma has sponsored the Burncoose Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 2003. Terra Firma is also a Patron of The Prince’s Trust and its support has helped disadvantaged young people through The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme.

The first Homebase store to undergo a Bunnings makeover opened for business in St Albans last week.

After a private “team event” on Sunday attended by 600 staff from across the UK and their families and friends, the Griffin Way store welcomed its first customers on Thursday with a ‘Sausage Sizzle’, a trademark gesture when Aussie parent company Wesfarmers opens stores back home.

Bunnings UK MD PJ Davis told Sunday’s gathering that the event was a thank-you for all their hard work in building the first UK new-look store.

St Albans is the first of a handful of 270 Homebase stores in the pilot scheme to test the company’s price-competitive retail offer on UK consumers. If successful, the rest will become Bunnings Warehouses over the next few years.

"Conversion will depend on how the first handful go – when we're happy with how they go we'll move relatively quickly," Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder told The Australian Financial Review last week. "It will take some time because there are 270 stores, but if we need to make tweaks we'll do that before we do a fast rollout.”

Some analysts say Wesfarmers is wary of a hasty foray into the British DIY market without proper testing.

Commentators in Australia regard the UK home improvement sector as 'sluggish' because of weak wage growth, the emergence of a “do it for me” culture thanks to the abundance of cheap labour and a lack of enthusiasm from today’s young homemakers.

On the upside, the UK economy remains in fair shape, with consumer confidence hardly touched by Brexit, and gardening sales have continued unabated. Bunnings has said gardening will be a key element in its UK stores. The St Albans store has a 19,000 sq.ft garden centre.

You almost detect a tear in his eye as Scotts Miracle-Gro’s CEO Jim Hagedorn told investors last week: “This is a bit of a bittersweet moment for us.”

He had just announced that Scotts had received a binding offer from Exponent Private Equity of around $250 million for its non-US businesses, which includes Miracle-Gro in the UK and Europe. The deal is expected to be completed by 30 September.

They were selling good businesses, he said. “In fact, international is out-of-the-gate strong this season, which reinforces the challenge that this was not…it was not the business, it was our ownership.”

It was, he said, all about accepting that Scotts could achieve better growth and margin opportunities in its home territory, the United States, “and that's where it makes sense for us to invest. If we're not willing to invest in these other businesses, then we owe it to everyone, especially our associates, to put these businesses in the hands of a better owner.”

He believed Exponent was the right owner. “They're excited about the category, our brands, and the opportunity to grow. Since this is likely my last time to publicly do so, I want to thank and congratulate our associates in these businesses.”

This will have been welcomed by the hard-working Miracle-Gro Company team down at Frimley, who would have been forgiven had they found the recent ownership uncertainty a tad unsettling.

Jim recalled how his career in lawn and garden started in Europe when his father, Horace, sent him over to England to launch Miracle-Gro. “I know what this industry is like over there. I know that it's more complicated, more competitive, and just flat out harder than the United States. Our people in Europe and Australia have done an outstanding job and probably haven't always received the credit they deserve. I want to thank them and wish them good luck with Exponent.”

He also thanked the friends he had made over here on the retail side of the business. “I'm really going to miss you guys.”
Pass the Kleenex…

The momentary melancholy was lifted, though, when he reminded his audience that once the deal was done, the company re-configured and the cash in the bank, more than 95% of the sales and profit would be derived from the United States.

And a lot of it, he hopes, will come from the burgeoning cannabis industry, which Scotts’ Hawthorne subsidiary is busily servicing as we speak.

CFO Randy Coleman (also Executive Vice-President) said the combined impact of selling the international businesses and hitting the company’s financial targets this year would improve the operating margin by 17%.

He also confirmed Scotts would maintain the UK and German employee pension plans. “That was part of the arrangement from day one as we talked to Exponent, the buyer, and we're comfortable with that,” he added.

We asked Exponent PE's Simon Davidson (pictured right) if he would like to comment further but had not received a reply as this edition was being prepared. Sheila Hill, who runs the UK division, also declined to comment.

[Our thanks to analysts Seeking Alpha of New York for the transcript of last week's Scotts Miracle-Gro earnings call, from which this article was prepared]


Post Script:  US market websites have also reported this weekend that Jim Hagadorn sold shares worth $2.93m on Wednesday 3rd May. American Banking News states he now directly owns 99,006 shares in the company, valued at $8,8m. 

Gardman has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.5m for the year ending December 2016, mainly down to the exceptional costs of almost £2.3m associated with re-structuring following the previous year’s management buy-out.

The results show a significant improvement in the company’s fortunes compared to 2015, when an operating loss of £6.1m was reported.

However, the directors say EBITDA, which saw a dramatic 50% improvement from £3.2m to £4.8m over the year, is the best indicator of how strongly the company is now performing.

They say that following the management buyout backed by Rutland Partners LLP on 23 June 2015, the group has continued to make good progress in its core markets whilst also developing its strategic direction thanks to its ability to invest in exciting new categories and strengthen operational infrastructure.

Revenue in the year grew by 6.5% to £60.5m (£56.2m in the UK, up 6.2%) and margins improved. The group expects a similar growth rate in 2017 following good sales increases in the first half of 20I7. It continues to invest in strengthening the sales and marketing teams.

Net return on sales last year was a loss of 2.4% compared to a loss of 10.7% in 2015, an improvement expected to continue this year. Sales per employee went up from £286,657 in 2015 to £293,472.

The cost challenges experienced following the Brexit vote and subsequent impact on currency have been managed through more efficient supply chain sourcing and a rebalancing of pricing.

The company has gained significant new distribution and new product listings within its existing customer base.

Gardman has made a significant investment this year in a new more centrally located warehouse facility in Daventry (visited, above, by the sales force as it neared completion in late summer) . This, the company says, will provide further distribuition efficiency and allow the company to meet future growth plans.

The Blue Diamond Group has officially announced today the acquisition of its 20th garden centre at East Bridgford, near Nottingham.

The Group is constantly looking to acquire existing garden centres that match its strict investment criteria, but given the scarcity of suitable opportunities on the market, Managing Director Alan Roper has been seeking greenfield sites in suitable locations to build new garden centres.

Bridgford Garden Centre is an example of this and the 140,000 square foot centre will open in March 2018 following a £4.5m fit-out that starts in November 2017.

Blue Diamond has taken out a 35 year lease on the site, which also has the potential to produce a turnover of £10m per annum and will employ 150 people.

Bridgford is in a great location, with excellent AB demographics and transport links. The Group has a further three new build sites in the pipeline.

Alan Roper told GTN Xtra that once the new-look centre opens in March 2018 the existing staff will be moved over to Blue Diamond.

 

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, the world’s leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, announced today (Tuesday 2nd May 2017) it has received from Exponent Private Equity LLP a binding and irrevocable offer for its European and Australian consumer operations. The proposed transaction is expected to close before September 30, subject to regulatory approval and prior information and consultation with Works Councils and employee representative bodies. 

The proposed sale includes ScottsMiracle-Gro operations in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and the U.K. Under terms of the proposed deal, ScottsMiracle-Gro associates in these locations would become employees of the Exponent-owned operations upon closing. ScottsMiracle-Gro brands and products would continue to be manufactured and marketed in Europe and Australia as a result of licensing and sub-licensing agreements.  In Europe, the brands include Roundup®, Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène®, Substral®, Osmocote® and Naturen®, the availability of which is dependent upon the country. Among the brands in Australia are Scotts®, Osmocote®, Naturen®, Roundup®, Home Defense® and Pure Organics®.

“Our international lawn and garden business is the strongest in the marketplace with outstanding brand recognition and a talented and dedicated team of associates,” said Phil Jones, SVP of ScottsMiracle-Gro International Operations. “We’re delighted to have reached the proposed agreement with Exponent, as they would be an excellent steward of the brands and be well positioned to take the business to the next level. We expect the proposed transaction to be seamless to our retail partners, consumers and associates.”

The proposed sale reflects ScottsMiracle-Gro’s commitment – announced as Project Focus in the Company’s fiscal year 2016 – to concentrate more of its resources on its U.S. business. Since then, the Company has sought to find a partner or buyer of its international business who would steward the brands, give stability to associates and invest in growth opportunities.

The deal is being reported in the US as being worth $250m with Scotts CEO, Jim Hagedorn, saying there was a lot more interest than the company expected.

Exponent is an experienced and successful investor in consumer businesses with high-growth potential. The proposed sale would mark Exponent’s initial investment in the lawn and garden space.

Commenting on the acquisition, Simon Davidson, Partner at Exponent, said: “These are market-leading garden care brands loved by consumers around the world. We look forward to working with the Company and investing further in advertising and innovation to continue to grow these brands and unlock the full potential of the business.” 

A statement on the Exponent website added that Scotts Miracle-Gro brands and products would continue to be manufactured and marketed in Europe and Australia as a result of licensing and sub-licensing agreements. ScottsMiracle-Gro's products are currently sold in leading retailers such as B&Q, Bunnings, Gamm Vert, and independent garden centres in its key markets.

Exponent is an experienced and successful investor in consumer businesses with high-growth potential and has a strong record of successful corporate carve-outs.

About Exponent Private Equity

Exponent is a private equity firm investing primarily in businesses with significant presence in the U.K. with enterprise values between £75m and £400m. It works with businesses across a broad range of sectors to unlock value and drive growth. Its current and former portfolio companies include businesses such as Quorn Foods, Photobox Group, Loch Lomond Whisky, Big Bus Tours, the Ambassador Theatre Group and Trainline. This transaction would represent Exponent’s 18^th corporate carve-out transaction since it was founded in 2004; it has acquired businesses from a range of vendors, including Premier Foods, DMGT, BBC, News Corporation, Umeco, Live Nation, Virgin and Alere.

http://www.exponentpe.com

About ScottsMiracle-Gro
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are among the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed near worldwide by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we maintain a minority interest in a joint venture with TruGreen®, the largest residential lawn care service business, and in Bonnie Plants®, the largest marketer of edible gardening plants in retail channels.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®.

For additional information, visit scottsmiraclegro.com.

The sale of Yarnton Nurseries near Oxford to investors Newcore Capital Management, announced last Thursday, comes just a year before its owners, twin brothers Richard and Nigel Wallbridge, were due to celebrate the family business’s 50^th anniversary.

The brothers, who left school at 14 and are now to retire at 72, took over the site in 1968 when it was a small nursery comprising five glasshouses turning over just £3,000.

Today, Yarnton Nurseries Garden & Shopping Village, to give its full title, occupies 12 acres and is in the upper turnover quartile of garden centre retailing, thanks to well-established concession income. The garden centre enjoys a turnover of more than £4 million while the full site generates turnover of around £15m. It is reported to have changed hands on Friday 7 April for an undisclosed sum believed to be more than £10 million.

The business has been run for the past 10 years by retail consultant Bob Marley, who negotiated the Newcore deal. Marley will stay on during the management transition.

As well as the garden centre, the site includes a 150-seater restaurant, a building supplies business, an antiques centre, spa supplier, fashion shops, shoe outlets, home furnishings retailer, kitchen and bathroom centres, aquatics centre, cookshop and wine merchant, among others.

Newcore Capital Management recently launched Newcore Strategic Situations III LP, a £50m opportunistic fund to invest in UK real estate assets linked to social infrastructure, storage and accommodation. It philosophy is to focus on assets it considers to be “central to the continuing needs of society and resilient to the internet’s deflationary effect”.

We are looking for a Area Representative/Product Merchandiser in the Kent/Sussex area and the job description is as follows:

We are currently seeking a hard-working, dedicated full time product merchandiser/area representative to look after our accounts across the South East of England, merchandising our dedicated display stands.

Previous merchandising experience is preferable, as is some experience of customer service and sales, although full training will be given and the ideal candidate would be located in the South East of England.

You will be responsible for approximately 60 customers who will need visiting every 4-6 weeks. These customers are a mixture of garden centres, High Street retailers and out of town retailers.

The work can be physical.  This vacancy would suit a person with experience of FMCG.

You will be confident, have a smart appearance with the ability to develop good customer relationships.

The candidate should hold a full clean driving licence.

Some overnight stays will be required as well as visits to our head office in Lincolnshire every 3-4 weeks.

Company van, telephone and laptop provided.

Company Pension Scheme and bonus scheme also offered.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £20,000.00 to £23,000.00 per year.

Please apply with CV to:  Richard Booker: richard@creativeproducts.ltd.uk

Creative Products Ltd
Creative House
Unit 7 Alma Park Road
Grantham
Lincolnshire
NG31 9SE

Tel 01476 564230

Westland Horticulture is the proud winner of the GIMA Sword of Excellence at the GIMA Awards, whilst Smart Garden Products has scooped the GCA Supplier of the Year, and Briers take home the Gardenex Export Achievement Award. Elho, Burgon & Ball, Hutton Garden and Landscaping Products, Hawkesmill Nurseries, Forest Garden, Horticulture Trade Association, Fallen Fruits, and Gardman complete the winners roster in 2017.

GIMA AWARDS 2017 – THE WINNERS

GIMA Sword of Excellence

Winner: Westland Horticulture - Westland SafeLawn

What the judges said: “A great new product that clearly addresses both the customers’ needs and concerns, with a really strong marketing campaign behind it.  A very worthy winner.”

GCA Supplier of the Year

Winner: Smart Garden Products

Finalists: Decco, Woodlodge

What the judges said: “Great quality of products, service and reliability”, “Fantastic innovation and new products” and “Even in a difficult year the service was excellent”.

Gardenex Export Achievement Award

Winner: Briers

Finalists: Smart Garden Products, Crest Garden

About the winners: Currently Briers export to 20 different countries, and have witnessed particular success from the United States, the Netherlands and Belgium. Briers’ presence and growth on the continent has been cemented by Jackie Eades’ association with EFSA and the long-term commitment to numerous trade shows.

GIMA AWARDS 2017 - PRODUCT AWARDS

Garden Care

Winner: Westland Horticulture - Westland SafeLawn

Finalists: Round Up – Round Up Telescopic Weeding Wand, SBM Life Science Ltd – Baby Bio® Feed & Mist for Orchids, Sipcam UK – Ecofective range

About the winner: Unlike existing 'all-in-one' lawn products, CleanLawn does not require children and pets to be excluded from the treated area after application, and does not require a spreader to be applied without the risk of scorching. In addition, raking out dead moss and thatch is not necessary as these waste materials are 'eaten' by microorganisms, leaving you more time to enjoy your lush, green lawn.

What the judges said: “Addresses the issues the consumer demands, simply and effectively”

Growing, Planting Equipment and Sundries

Winner: Elho b.v. – Elho Corsica Door Stopper

Finalists: Hozelock Ltd – Superhoze 30m & 15m, FITT SpA – YOYO 2017, Elho – Super XXL Grow Table and Lid

About the winner: The door stopper is a totally new product to the market. There is no other synthetic product at present that is able to be planted to create a unique way to hold open a door. With the addition of wheels to easily move when planted this makes it innovative. 

What the judges said: “Innovative new design, it broadens the use of standard planters.”

Garden Tools, Machinery and Implements

Winner: Burgon & Ball - Ergo Deadheader

Finalists:  Spear and Jackson - Select Stainless Allotment Hoe, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company - Evergreen Wizz Year-Round Spreader, Hozelock Ltd - Pico Power, Pico Power Home, Burgon & Ball – FloraBrite range

About the winner: This tool is designed to be held in a new way. The finger loop, uniquely shaped handles and comfort grip allow the Ergo Deadheader to nestle in the palm, taking the strain off the wrist and thumb for more comfortable cutting.

What the judges said: “Designed with the user in mind not just the task, it's easy and comfortable to use.”

Outdoor Leisure

Winner: Hutton Garden and Landscaping Products – Melrose Dining Set

Finalists: Woodlodge Products - Mendip Fire Pit, CPL Distribution Limited - Homefire Olive Briquettes, Fallen Fruits - Dachshund Bench

About the winner: Most outdoor garden furniture is produced using small dimension softwood with the aim of achieving low cost to the consumer. The Melrose is proof that using innovative British manufacturing techniques, high quality products can be produced at a very affordable price.

What the judges said: “Excellent value for money with good environmental credentials, and it's made in the UK too!”

Plants, Seeds and Bulbs

Winner: Hawkesmill Nurseries - Salvia Microphylla 'Jeremy' or Salvia 'Pink Lips'

Finalists: Westland Horticulture - Unwins Sensational Sweet Peas range, Mr Fothergill's Seeds Ltd - Optigrow vegetable seeds, Hawkesmill Nurseries - Victorian Viola range

About the winner:  Salvia Pink Lips (Jeremy)® is a pink form of the popular Salvia Hot Lips and is exclusive to Hawkesmill Nurseries for 2017. The stunning blooms are pink-white instead of red-white (Hotlips) and the flowers have a larger size (about 50% larger compared to Hotlips). 

What the judges said: “Beautiful and hardy; a great follow up to the popular Hot Lips variety.”

Garden Landscaping

Winner: Forest Garden – Decibel Noise Reduction Panel

Finalists: Grange Fencing Ltd - Adjustable Garden Screen, Deco-Pak Ltd - Milano Porcelain Paving, Ronseal - Garden Paint New Colours, Forest Garden – Whitby Arch & Arbour Range

About the winner: It is the first attractive, affordable and ready-assembled acoustic panel on the market available for purchase and home delivery from national retailers. Unique Triform technology incorporates boards with a triangular profile that optimise the diffusion as well as reflection of nuisance noise.

What the judges said: “Shows a good understanding of the need to reduce noise and stress in the urban environment.”

Garden Clothing & Gifts

Winner: Horticultural Trades Association – National Gift Card

Finalists: Crest Garden - Kent & Stowe Gardener's Clothing/Gift, Burgon & Ball - FloraBrite range, Crest Garden - Kent & Stowe Garden Gift

About the winner: Unlike the old propriety gift cards, retailers can sell as well as redeem the NGGC. The purpose-built transactional technology enables the card to be activated by any epos system and even online. This enables the widest possible sale and redemption possible. The gift card is all-inclusive for retailers.

What the judges said: “A great product for driving more sales into gardening” and “Great for both retailers and customers.”

Pet Care, Aquatics and Wild Bird Care Products

Winner: Fallen Fruits - Best for Birds Range

Finalists: Cadix UK - Outdoor Statue Birdbath, Gardman - Butterfly Glass Bird Bath, Wildlife World - Dewdrop Wildbird Window Feeder

About the winners: Fallen Fruits’ Best for Birds wedge and hanger feeders are aimed at the entry level price point; a pocket money product. They allow customers to experiment with different feeds in different locations to see what suits their garden birds. The feeders are colourful and easily disposed of when empty.

What the judges said: “Innovative unique design, low cost and recyclable.”

Garden Lighting, Water Features & Ornamentation

Winner: Smart Garden Products Limited – Eureka! Retro Solar Lightbulb

Finalist: Smart Garden Products - Illumina Silhouette Table, The Solar Centre - Lumify USB Solar Festoon Lights, Smart Garden Products - The Elvedon Collection

About the winner: Following the success of the Eureka! Solar light bulb, this larger sized light bulb and retro Edison filament lighting effect continues the evolution of the Eureka! range of products and provides consumers with an enticing, new option. The new flattened bottom allows them to sit on tabletops as well as hang. 

What the judges said: “Bang on trend again; a great new twist on a bestseller.”

GIMA AWARDS 2017 – MARKETING AWARDS

Best Point of Sale Material

Winner: Briers Ltd - Kids Range New Display Concept

Finalists: Kelkay Ltd - Collections, Smart Garden Products – Doormat displays, Westland Horticulture – Smart Cover Mega Pallet

About the winner: Addressing the retailer’s needs directly, by enabling them to display a high impact range that delivers in a compact footprint.  The new merchandisers are robust enough to withstand the retail environment and flexible enough to allow retailers to choose their ranges to suit their customers.

What the judges said: “A great use of space and colour with a strong link to the product.”

Best Consumer Product Packaging

Winner: Westland Horticulture – Westland Safelawn

Finalists: Wildlife World - Floral Gift range, Burgon & Ball - Brie Harrison range, Hozelock - Superhoze Packaging

About the winner: Extensive research gave Westland the insight needed to spot a gap in the existing lawn range. Parents and pet owners were worried about safety concerns, rather than seeking organic alternatives. By naming the product 'SafeLawn' and giving clear visual representations on pack, Westland was able to identify a consumer need.

What the judges said: “Functional, colourful and distinctive packaging with clear messaging addressing the consumers fears and aspirations.”

Best Marketing Communication Award

Winner: Gardman Ltd - The Royal British Legion Charity Campaign

Finalists: Westland Horticulture – Westland SafeLawn, Hozelock - Bizzi Marketing Campaign, Wagner System GmbH - Out of Black Forest video

About the winner: Gardman became corporate partners with the Royal British Legion and launched a range of poppy wild bird care products; a cast iron poppy bird feeder dish and two premium wild bird care seed mixes.  Through sales of these products, Gardman have managed to raise an incredible £240,000 to support veterans and their families.

What the judges said: “A simple but effective campaign that delivered great results and ticked all the boxes: Product that sold through, an excellent marketing campaign, and a worthy charitable connection.”

The winners of the GIMA awards 2017 were announced at Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales by comedian Hall Cruttenden.

The pinnacle of the garden retail industry’s calendar, the event has brought together manufacturers, retailers, members of the press and industry figures, to celebrate the 16 highly-deserving winners. 

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall, commented on tonight’s event. “I would like to be the first to extend my congratulations to all of the winners.  Each year we say that the calibre of entries could not be exceeded, and each year we are proven wrong!  This year saw not only a record number of entries, but the quality of these entries was the best yet. Our judges really did have their work cut out. I think we can agree though, that the winners are highly deserving of their awards. Each of them have created a product or service that really stands out in this hectic industry we work within. This level of ‘standout’ has to be celebrated, and it’s fantastic to be able to provide this platform for celebration and recognition.”

This year, the GIMA judging panel was made up of Julie Burrell, Head of Trading Seasonal and Stationery, Wilko Retail,Tony Kersey, Garden Tools & Watering Buyer, Bunnings & Homebase, Neil Grant, Managing Director, Ferndale Garden Centre, Robert Hall, Halls Gardensite, James Hollingworth, Garden Products Buyer, Suttons Consumer Products, Nick Liszka, Buying Manager, Wyevale Garden Centres, Neil Pope, Garden Trade News, Andy Schofield, Commercial Trading Manager, Home & Garden Group and Allan Wilson, Senior Buyer, The Klondyke Group.

Vicky added: “My thanks also have to go to the panel of dedicated judges who gave up their valuable time to take part in this year’s judging process.  Their combined expertise and market knowledge has been invaluable throughout the judging process, and has helped to create a particularly strong list of winners.

“Finally, I extend my thanks to all those that have entered the awards in 2017, as well as our sponsors, without whom we would not be able to put on an event of this scale.”

See a full report of the GIMA Awards 2017 in the August issue of GTN.

Is the new "Boutique" Squires Garden Centre at Chertsey the smallest garden centre in the UK?  GTN Xtra visited the centre after the official opening last week to meet 2015 Westland GCA Rising Star finalist Matt Tanner and his team and discover how Squires have maximised every inch of space in this small but perfectly formed development.

Considering most staff at garden centres are always saying they don't have enough space the team at Squires Chertsey are more than happy with the way they are using their new space, especially outside in the planteria where every bench is moveable so that the displasy can be easily moved around to create maximum impact.  The only thing they lack are parking spaces at the moment "we've enlarged it three times already," Matt told GTN Xtra.  "There has never been a coffe shop here before and the new Cafe Bar is already very popular so we'll have to add even more spaces over time."



The creation of a very stylish Cafe Bar in a former gatehouse means this really is a boutique centre that ticks all of the boxes.

See our gallery below for a full tour...

Glee is to become a biannual event with the opening of a 'Glee concession show' at Spring Fair 2018 (February, NEC Birmingham). This show will complement Glee’s main exhibition at the NEC each September.

Glee at Spring Fair will give retailers the opportunity to see new and best-selling ranges ahead of the spring season. A second addition at this time of year will give retailers an additional destination to refresh their ranges for key retail spikes. 

Glee in February will also provide garden buyers with the latest concepts and trends for 2018, helping them to direct their buying.  Categories that retailers can look forward to sourcing will include garden care, landscaping and garden decoration, and outdoor entertaining.

Long-term Glee visitor, Mike Burks of The Gardens Group said: “Glee’s new Spring Fair concession is a great idea. By providing a garden centre hub it will help Glee’s visitors at Spring Fair to focus on the products most relevant to them. Additionally, the presence of these garden related exhibitors will introduce products to those buyers that wouldn’t normally see them. The Gardens Group buying team will be sure to visit in 2018.”

The spring edition will also provide Glee exhibitors with a secondary revenue opportunity in the year, and an additional touchpoint to meet with new and existing customers. Glee at Spring Fair will take prime location in Hall 3, considered to be in the main thoroughfare, and will have the signature wide boulevard synonymous with the September layout.

The February edition of Glee also means that Spring Fair will now benefit from having a dedicated garden centre hub at its heart. Glee at Spring Fair is a natural home for these garden and outdoor suppliers, and will make it even easier for home and gift retailers to tap into these thriving and highly profitable product sectors.

Glee’s Event Director, Matthew Mein explains: “Retailing is a constantly evolving business, and we appreciate that the buying cycle for gardening, outdoor living gifts, and design-led products stretches across the whole year. However, in the Glee 2016 post-show visitor survey over 15% of those polled said that they would also make purchasing decision in first quarter of the year. What is more, we hope that Glee’s Spring Fair presence will increase the show’s visibility to those buyers that don’t normal attend the September show.  This will give our exhibitors an additional sales opportunity in the year.”

Glee at Spring Fair, will be similar to the popular ‘shop in shop’ concept, and will benefit from the strong contemporary Glee branding that both exhibitors and visitor have to come to recognise.

Garden, outdoor living and design-led product suppliers are invited to contact the Glee sales team to find out more about how they can maximise this exciting new development.

To keep up-to-date on all the latest news visit www.gleebirmingham.com or for details on exhibiting at Glee 2017, call 0203 033 2160.

Following an emergency Xylella meeting held last week at the HTA, garden retailers have signed up to support a joint industry plant sourcing statement about Xylella fastidiosa.

The statement, which incorporates the existing HTA Ornamentals Management Committee statement, reads as follows:-

“As a minimum standard, the following businesses have taken the decision NOT to knowingly purchase any host plants originating from regions where the disease Xylella is known to exist. The decision has been taken after detailed consideration as to the potential catastrophic impact the introduction of the disease could have to the UK environment, coupled with the ever increasing number of host plant genera of this disease. This is in line with DEFRA’s good practice recommendations.”

The HTA is aware that this is a minimum standard and therefore individual businesses are encouraged to develop their own policy for managing the risks posed by Xylella fastidiosa.

The following retailers have signed up to the statement.

• Orchard Park Garden Centre
• St Peters Garden Centre
• Henry Street Garden Centre
• Aylett Nurseries Ltd
• The Gardens Group
• Klondyke Group
• Scotsdales Garden Centres
• Hillview Garden Centres
• Notcutts Garden Centres
• Haskins Garden Centres
• Alton Garden Centre
• Burleydam Garden Centre
• Fresh @ Burcot
• Fosseway Garden Centre
• Squires Garden Centres
• Hillier Garden Centres

For the full list of businesses, including growers and retailers signed up to the statement, please see: https://hta.org.uk/plant-and-disease-alert-xylella-fastidiosa.html

Any businesses wishing to show their support for the statement should email policy@hta.org.uk in order for their name to be added to the list.

Commenting on this Raoul Curtis-Machin, HTA Director of Horticulture comments, “Retailers attending the meeting felt that a joined up industry statement for all sectors would be stronger. It became apparent that retailers felt inadequately informed about procedures to follow and the potential impact of Xylella fastidiosa throughout the supply chain. As a result a five point plan has been developed to inform about good practice with regard to plant health management.”

Xylella Five Point Plan

Under EU emergency measures there are additional plant passporting requirements for all professional operators sourcing Xylella host plants. This means that all those trading professionally in these plants must issue and retain passports where the plants are being supplied to another business entity, such as landscapers, designers and retailers. It also includes plants being imported direct to the final user.

All those involved in the commercial supply and receipt of host plants should:

1. Check plant passports arriving with plants are correct and keep the plant passport to aid trace back if necessary. Label and keep records of the identity of all received batches of plants, including where the plants came from and when.
2. Source from known suppliers or visit suppliers to view their processes, procedures, biosecurity arrangements and the plants they grow.
3. Make sure that imported plants both originate from, and are sourced from, disease free areas. Details on infected areas are found at: http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_health_biosecurity/legislation/emergency_measures/index_en.htm.
4. Maintain records of pesticide treatments and destroy old or unusable plants.
5. Comply with the UK national requirements to notify the UK Plant Health Service about certain species of plants under the ‘EU Plant and Tree notification scheme’.

For trade guidance and information about Xylella priority hosts, follow the links from this page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-plant-health-topical-issues#new-eu-emergency-measures-against-xylella-fastidiosa-a-bacterial-disease-of-plants

The authorities have also identified six High Risk plants: https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/assets/uploads/Xylella-host-info-note-version3.pdf

For more information about plant passports and keeping updated with legislation: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plant-health-controls

For more information about plant health: https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/ or contact: planthealth.info@apha.gsi.gov.uk, 01904 40138.

Dobbies CEO Nicholas Marshall has outlined a three-year plan designed to take the chain more upmarket and restore its focus as a quality retailer of plants.

Staff in Dobbies stores told GTN Xtra last week that their regional managers had relayed Marshall’s ideas for doubling the group’s plant sales, bringing back AB demographic customers lost during the years of Tesco ownership and doubling income from concessions.

Plant managers will be allowed to choose which plants to stock via an online ordering system and will be accountable for the condition of their retail displays.

The familiar ‘Good, Better Best’ product strategy used by suppliers and retailers will be re-balanced across Dobbies from 70% Good, 25% Better and 5% Best to 25% Good, 50% Better and 25% Best, GTN Xtra learned.

Online sources suggest Marshall is disappointed with the chain’s shops and layouts and will undertake a programme of change early next year, with new-look planterias a priority in many. Changes are already under way in some stores for the autumn and Christmas offerings.

Marshall and new owners Midlothian Capital Partners, who acquired the business for £217 a year ago, are also reported to be keen to buy new garden centres, especially in the south – a process stalled during the Tesco years.

As previously announced, a Dobbies online sales service in partnership with Ocado, supplied via a model garden centre at the distributor’s Dartford warehouse, is scheduled to go live next Spring.

Woodlodge won the Haskins Stewart Cup as GCA Supplier of the Year ahead for Taylors Bulbs and Smart Garden Products who were the other finalists.



Earlier in the afternoon GCA Associate Members held an exhibition at Conference, meeting and selling their products and services to GCA Members.  See our gallery below:

Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre:

“Overall a great show and all really positive with a huge number of new products from all corners and very little talk of Brexit, almost everyone was upbeat.

“For me it's the fun garden category where the products are good quality and in many cases astoundingly good value.  Good examples being Smart, Fountasia and Vivid Arts to name but three, and the diversification made by the big three pot suppliers; Apta, Woodlodge, Cadix, into this sector has really brought dividends.

“If I have to nail my colours to the mast then I would go Cadix houseplant pot cover range, Smart Wind Chime stand and last but not least Fountasia metal flowers as the stand out new products. These three will bring in extra cash and offer something different be it product or pricing strategy.

“There were also lots of little winners such as Ivyline hardwood planters and Apta stone vehicle planters.

“Lastly with regards to attendees over the years the numbers of our teams attending has dwindled but its turning round now with the need now for our BBQ team and Landscape team to attend at least one day.

“New Products I thought were in the wrong place. All the European shows and indeed the HTA National Plant Show make it a must not misscentral point.”

Alison Marsden, Barton Grange Garden Centre:

“I found this year’s Glee rather interesting and found I didn’t have enough time with 2 days to cover everything that I needed to. There was a lot more to be said on each of the stands due to who owns what and who is doing what now. I found all the chemical changes interesting and I am still debating how to rationalise our range to make it more customer focused.

“The product that stood out the most for me was the nematode products from Neurdorff. I like the title Job done on SBM, but that does not help me shrink the range. For dry goods outside I liked the grow your own products from Zest.

“As far as buying decisions we have seen what is out there, but I still feel there is a fair amount of work to be done here, especially as I would like to give the department a little shake up. We need to decide on some great promotions.

“I did visit the retail lab, but very briefly as time was short.

“In a nutshell, I enjoyed the show very much (which is unusual for me at Glee). We came away with lots to consider but no real decisions made, a big pile of catalogues to review and a whole load of brain power to be used.”

Colin Barrie, Caulders Garden Centres:

“Glee 2017 was a great event for the Garden industry and based on the quality of the Show for the last two years was a hard act to follow.

“All our key suppliers were there and it was great opportunity to focus on our ranging for 2018.   Within the industry it's always quite easy to see what the larger suppliers are doing in terms of range and NPD, however Glee gives the opportunity for the medium and smaller suppliers to showcase their products and get them in front of the customer.

“For me, Kelkay and Zest had some great new products and are driving their categories well in terms of Product and retail innovation.”

Mel Livingston, Fron Goch Garden Centre:

“Seeing everything together helps to distill the zeitgeist, whether that is colour, styling, message or future trends. It helps to confirm that maybe even though we want to uplift the stoneware section, no one is actually making what we are looking for... yet! When it comes to pots and containers, we are already buying from the companies with the best offer.

“We went to the retail lab, great, made sense to me, Alicia loved it and she took loads of photos. A really good addition to the show. It's fair enough showing new products but a physical representation about new ideas is where we should be going at UK shows.

“Stand out products: Woodlodge Houseplant pots - that study tour (to Holland with GTN and the HTA) was useful! Neudorff nematodes, just wow, how handy are these going to be! Senecio Angel Wings - it was all over Fouroaks, it's just so different and I'm going to enjoy enthusing customers about it!”

“I thought it was a better show this year, it reflected the fact that everyone had traded well over the past 12 months. More retail lab stuff please, let's encourage everyone to up their game when it comes to inspirational displays!”

Boyd Douglas-Davies, Hillview Garden Centres:

“Another great GLEE! Lots of positive vibes, plenty of money making products from well-known suppliers plus an interesting range spread around the edges from hitherto unknown companies.

“We placed orders with existing suppliers and new discoveries through the show so certainly a productive three days. We were very excited by the range extension from Smart Garden and we placed our biggest single product order with Crest.

“The Retail Lab was an excellent addition to the show and we'll be working with our teams to ensure the displays find their way to store over the next few weeks.”

Colin Dale, Notcutts:

“Yes this was a very good GLEE for us this year. We had pre-planned ourselves better this year, which helped to focus on genuine potential incremental sales and improved options for the Notcutts range.

“I was particularly keen to see how some of the new natural/ organic products have come together, from virtually all suppliers.

“LED windowsill GYO potential has been in the press recently and it was good to see a couple of potential supply options at GLEE.

“House plant pots are doing well this year.  Again there were some new options on range and suppliers in this area.

“The Retail lab was a great idea, but unfortunately I ran out of time & missed the tour. I will ensure that I do next year.

“It was great that Notcutts at Woodford Park gained the recognition that it deserved in the GTN Greatest Plant Retailer Awards.

“As a group, I encourage input from our colleagues in Garden Centres, where they gain the best customer feedback. I invited a team to join Hayley & myself at GLEE, and I know that they fully enjoyed the experience this year.

“After a few years of slipping backwards it does now feel the GLEE is back on positive growth trajectory.”

Caroline Owen, Scotsdales Garden Centres:

“As always a great Glee and certainly the best in the last few years.

“I don't think there was a standout product as such but new ranges of garden ornaments will add some volume to sales for 2018.

“So many great stands showing products in lifestyle situations, Cadix and Ellho particularly. If only we had the space to have these displays at the garden centre. Without doubt it always helps buying decisions to see the products rather than looking at a catalogue and for us in Cambridge means that I can send my garden care teams to see all the suppliers in one day which certainly they all enjoy.

“It's a great networking event catching up with colleagues and friends all in a short time.”

Neil and Nicci Gow, Fresh@Burcot Garden Centre:

“I cannot imagine operating in our sector without Glee. How else can you see so many potential suppliers and products in one place at one time. Professional Buyers may have time to trip around all over the country visiting supplier show rooms but the independent garden centre does not have this luxury, so I cannot imagine how a garden centre can operate effectively at the leading edge we require to stay ahead of the sheds, multiples and discount retailers invading the high street. The opportunity to shuffle back and forth between exhibitors comparing products is invaluable. Now with the likes of Bayer (SBM) back at the show we can make ranging decisions there and then without having to wait until their rep eventually gets around to seeing us. Suppliers not at Glee missed out on shelf space with us when they are not at Glee. As a business, we are being squeezed too and no longer have the time to hang around waiting. Those day have gone. We have defined our chems and ferts range for 2018 now, along with our pots and other garden sundries. All that is left to do is work out the orders and get these placed. We can now get on with key autumn retailing and prep for Christmas.

“Maybe I have been in the industry too long but really all The Retail Lab did was frustrate me: - that there is so much more we could do if there were the hours in the day, the margin in the sales, the profit in the operations, the skills in the folks we have in our industry and the perception in the customers we serve? We took a few pictures to act as aide memoirs but I am disappointed at the follow up material available, or lack of, that we could relay back to the team at the centre who did not get to see it. I thought at least there would be a virtual tour by Romeo on the HTA or Glee website, some material we could download from one of those websites with some of the phrases, saying and statistics we could use in POS and that sort of thing. That would be really constructive towards alleviating some of my frustrations! There was obviously a huge amount of work and expense put into it and just a spoonful more would have made it so much more valuable.

“Stewarts/Keter had some interesting lines, some certainties in new pots and planters and others that are growing on me. The storage solutions are something that could be an interesting trend. We were doing well with this until 2 or 3 years ago when the multiples murdered the value of this group, so it could be ripe for a comeback now?                                                                                                                                                  

“The new packaging/presentation concepts of Vitax have certainly got some legs. Link sales is something we have barely touched on yet and something the independent garden retailer has an advantage over the discounters on so we must capitalise on this.

“Woodlodge had some great looking pots, and some interesting lines for indoor pot covers which could work in well with the re-surgence we are seeing in pot plants?

“Green Heart showcased some great looking new plants from Wyevale and Channel Island Plants for next season. It was really useful to see the Christmas added value range from Farplants and I think there could be some winning lines in there for us. Baldwin Nurseries, who I had not come across before. They had some really great looking plants, especially their climbers.

“It is really encouraging to see some companies turning their back on the ‘race to the bottom’ that has been so prevalent in our industry over recent years. Quality products with sensible retail prices and margin for both supplier and retailer are what we need. Be this tools from Kent & Stowe, Lawn Care from Westland, Bird Care from Peckish, sundry lines from Garland and Tildenet and garden decoration from Fountasia and The Solar Centre.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, we would rate Glee 2017 as probably 10 if not 11!”

And finally, a word from one of the Glee New Product Award judges…

Brian Archibald, B&H Solutions:

“I thoroughly enjoyed judging this year and felt the show was the best for many years.

“I was not looking at products as a buyer, but as a consumer so a slightly different slant this year.

“To me, the stand out product was the I-|Glo decking disc. It was unique, British made and also looks good from an export perspective. They were the only supplier who came to the judging to explain their product and have looked at applications other than decking. Good luck to them.

“Neudorff’s vine weevil, chafer grub and leatherjacket nematodes should do well as customers become more environmentally aware. They have a shelf life of 6 months and are non-returnable, so buyers need to be aware as the season for each one reaches the end.

“Kelkay look set for another year of growth with an ever-increasing range of water features and aggregates.

“I visited the retail lab and thought it was good. Something new for buyers to mull over.”

If you would like to add your comments, please e-mail trevor.pfeiffer@tgcmc.co.uk or use the comments link below.  We will add them to this story and publish more in the Glee Daily News Omnibus Issue at the end of September.

The potentially catastrophic consequences for the UK’s horticultural industry of an outbreak of the bacterial plant disease Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) were spelled out in a stark warning to growers and retailers at last week’s HTA Futures Conference.

During a panel debate, Hillview Garden Centres CEO Boyd Douglas-Davies (right) described it as the most serious situation he had come across in his 32 years in the industry. It was a wake-up call that had resulted in his businesses starting to take plant health more seriously.

The disease has already devastated horticulture in southern Italy and has spread to Corsica, southern France and Spain. There is no known control and severely affected plants can die within three years. Thousands of plants on those regions have already been destroyed.

In the event of an outbreak in the UK, an exclusion zone of 10km would be imposed for five years. It has been likened to “foot and mouth” in horticulture, affecting growers, retailers and consumers alike.

Dan Munro (second left) from the UK’s Animal and Plant Healthy Agency said the disease was sure to spread and spread, with new cold-hardy strains posing a threat to the UK should it reach our shores. It could even be brought on the boot of a holidaymaker.

Douglas-Davies urged the industry not to wait for official action or it could be too late. “We have to act now as individual companies and be far ahead of the industry as a whole, which can only keep up with the slowest member. There is no time to wait for official bodies to do their bit,” he said.

The HTA’s Raoul Curtis-Machin (left) said businesses should take extra care in sourcing their plants and urged British growers to start growing more of their own material to ensure bio-security.  He suggested the HTA could support calls for some kind of official compensation scheme for businesses caught up in an outbreak.

The European Commission has dropped its proposal for a 10 year license extension for glyphosate after the European Parliament called today for the weedkiller to be phased out in the next five years.

Europe has been debating the use of the herbicide for more than two years and reported by news agency Reuters; "Tuesday’s non-binding vote comes a day before representatives from the 28 EU member nations were due to meet in Brussels to discuss and give their view on a Commission proposal to extend the license for glyphosate by 10 years.

The European Parliament News Service reports that the non-binding resolution was adopted by 355 votes to 204, with 111 abstentions. EU member states will vote on a Commission proposal to renew the marketing authorisation of glyphosate on Wednesday 25th October 2017.

A European Citizen’s initiative calling for a ban on the herbicide reached more than a million signatures in less than a year and will trigger a public hearing in Parliament in November.

Other reports say that MEP's also demanded that the Commission and European Union member states immediately ban the use of glyphosate in households or public parks and on farms if other biological pest control systems were available.

In June 2016 the EU passed an 18-month extension to extend the license for 15 years. That expires at the end of the year.  The initial resolution put today called for glyphosate to be phased out by the end of 2020. However, an amendment pushed that back to December 2022.

See the full Reuters story here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-health-glyphosate/eu-lawmakers-demand-five-year-phase-out-of-weedkiller-glyphosate-idUSKBN1CT21H

and the EU Parliament News service at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20171020IPR86572/meps-demand-glyphosate-phase-out-with-full-ban-by-end-2022

Other reports about the vote can be found at: http://www.france24.com/en/20171024-eu-parliament-votes-ban-controversial-weedkiller-glyphosate-monsanto-roundup

A fantastic day of fundraising and walking across the fens and through the iconic city of Cambridge saw 105 walkers and runners, some in fancy dress, raise a record breaking £22.5k on Garden Re-Leaf Day 2017.

Sponsored by Scotsdales, staff at their Horningsea garden centre worked hard to ensure the event started with a hoot and a cheer creating specially designed banners and balloon displays all  of which added to a great atmosphere.  Cutting the ribbon to start the walk, Garden Re-Leaf Day founder and Greenfingers Trustee Boyd Douglas Davies, along with Glee's Matthew Mein who masterminded the first Garden Re-Leaf Day Walk in 2015, then headed off to complete the 20 mile route.

With support along the route from vehicles sponsored by Cadix Ltd, Quinton Edwards and Town & Country's Mark Butler and welcome refreshment points sponsored by SBM Life Science, the walkers were kept motivated as they faced bracing wind and chilly conditions. 

 

Cherry tomato runner Heidi Towse was the first 10 mile runner to complete the route in under 1 hour 45mins before going on to row 13 miles to make up an impressive duathlon.  Alongside Heidi, the Scotsdales team at Great Shelford clocked up the miles on a static bike as they collected money for Greenfingers Charity.

Despite taking a wrong turning, Team Elho was the first 20 mile runners in, closely followed by Matthew Mein and Briers Matt Jackson.  Lead 20 mile walkers, Simon Quinton Smith and Great British Cards Chris Houfe set a blistering pace, collecting their medals looking fresh and confident, closely followed by Gardenstores Paul Williams. 

Completing the walk, Boyd Douglas Davies  said: "What a great day, and what an Incredible turnout - the industry, Scotsdales and the Greenfingers team did us proud! Matt Mein, I take my hat off to, brilliant idea and incredible that he ran it!  Chris Houfe and Simon Quinton Smith -  who'd have thought it! Little did I know when I set off with them that they were both speed walkers. What an incredible Pace, blistering is the only word!  I'm chuffed to bits with the event, the spirit, the amount raised and my own result...8th, just 5 minutes behind the lead walkers...and I ache like mad" 

Goody bags sponsored by Hozelock and Briers and SBM Life Science, who also sponsored the medals along with a welcome barbecue sponsored by LOFA and Outback.greeted the walkers at the finish point. Other event sponsors included GIMA and Kelkay.

See the gallery of photos frome the event below and watch out for a special Garden Re-Leaf Day issue later this week - please send us pictures from you own events.

Eds footnote:  Sorry the pictures are not in order and that this report is late being published.  The walk was a truly blistering experience for me and I've discovered they don't make blister plasters big enough if you carry on walking for 12 miles after the blisters start.  That and our systems being down yesterday are my hopeless excuses, but what a privilege to be a part of a really great event and to do my part to raise funds for Greenfingers.  Bring on Garden Re-Leaf Day 2018!!  By the way our Labradoodles were only just getting started by the time we'd done 20 miles, they just got quite bored as I was walking sooo slow for the last 3 miles...  

Coolings Nurseries of Sevenoaks, have agreed to purchase the well-respected retail business known as The Potted Garden Nursery, near Leeds Castle in Kent...

Chairman Paul Cooling (left) said: “We are over the moon to welcome the new team into the Coolings family.  The focus on plants has always been paramount at Coolings and we look forward to being part of the next chapter in the history of this new site.”

MD Gary Carvosso (right) also said Coolings would work with the current team to further improve what was already a successful and profitable business. “Plants will always remain at the core of what we do and we will not be rushing into any additional investment just yet, as we are mindful to preserve the wonderful charm of the site.”

The site, on the busy A20 close to Maidstone, comes with planning permission for the introduction of catering and a larger garden shop.

Rob and Amanda Brookman, the current owners of The Potted Garden, said: “When we were looking for a buyer for the site we were keen to find a company that valued its staff and whose core interest was plant based, so we’re delighted to have found the ideal buyer in the great company that is Coolings. We wish them every success taking the business forward.”

The official handover date is 1 November.

The sale was handled by Alexander Mackie Associates Ltd.

GTN Xtra's Trevor Pfeiffer attended the opening of the fourth, and largest, Bunnings Warehouse in the UK and Ireland at Milton Keynes on Thursday to bring you exclusive picture coverage.

And there are notable changes in the gardening sections of the store compared to the first three:

• Plants are outdoors in a much larger area.
• Plant stock is stored in an area behind the garden centre so as not to have Danish trolleys in the aisles
• A separate entrance and exit to the Garden Centre section with till point
• Gardening supplies (ferts chems and seeds) are inside in the main store
• Wild Bird Care is ranged alongside other Garden supplies
• There is an increased range of structural, plant support and garden decoration products
• And an even larger range and display of garden furniture and BBQ's

The store occupies over 90,000 square feet and employs 140 people – including more than 88 in newly-created full and part-time roles.

It also stocks more than 35,000 different home improvement and garden products, including a mix of international and British brands – from Purdy’s paintbrushes, never before available to non-professionals, to Ryobi and DeWalt tools. Paint mixing services from Johnstone’s Trade, Crown and Dulux are also available in-store.

Bunnings team members have already been busy in Milton Keynes, lending a helping hand with gardening and decorating projects for MK Snap, Loughton Manor First School, and Milton Keynes Hospital. This support continues a long tradition by Bunnings in Australia and New Zealand of playing an active part in the local community.

To celebrate the opening, Australian legend and racing driver Mark Webber hosted a welcome breakfast for team members.

Nine-time Grand Prix winner and F1 legend Mark Webber said: “Bunnings Warehouse is a huge name in my native Australia, so it’s an honour to be opening their biggest UK store to date. I’m sure the store will be a great success.”

The store’s Complex Manager, Kevin Dale, added: “It is great to finally open our doors to customers. Our team members have worked really hard to get the store ready for opening.

"Collectively we’ve already completed more than 1,500 training hours to make sure we have the expertise to help with home or garden projects.”

Two grand opening weekend events will also be taking place on 8/9 and 15/16 June with a raft of free family activities.

"Customers can enjoy face-painting, balloon modelling and even join Peppa Pig & George for a Story Time session (see in store for details).

The company, part of Australia’s Wesfarmers Group, plans to invest up to £500million rolling out Bunnings Warehouse stores across the UK and Ireland over the next three to five years.

See GTN Xtra's picture gallery below

Hilliers has announced a number of new senior appointments to its garden centre head office team.

Plant category manager Rob Grayson, who has worked in various roles at Hillier’s Nurseries, has been promoted to head of purchasing.

George Hillier takes up a new position as head of property, with responsibility for the entire estate, including maintenance and developments in garden centres, nurseries and domestic property, as well as the management of concession partnerships*.

Mark Bosworth, previously been centre manager at Horsham, succeeds George Hillier as one of the two area managers overseeing the portfolio of garden centres.

The final appointee is Richard Egerton, who joins from Dobbies as new group horticultural buyer.

Director Chris Francis said: “We are really pleased with the new appointments to our senior team. There are a number of internal promotions, a great proof of our success at developing people within Hillier, as well as the addition of one of the top people in the industry.” He added that he was confident they would help the group to continue its strong start to the year.

Andrew West and Martin Andrews left Hillier to join Dobbies last month.

*A 20,000 sq.ft. extension at Hilliers Eastbourne Garden Centre, due to open by the end of May, will create space for five additional concessions on the site.

Dr Stefano Sogni, from Zelari Nurseries in Italy, has spoken exclusively with GTN Xtra to reveal how his country is successfully tackling Xylella fastidiosa. He says: "You need to get to know your enemy to fight the enemy."

Here's what Dr Sogni says:

"The disease is not new to the professional: it has been the acknowledged agent of the Grapes Pierce Disease (PGD), known in California as from the early days of the 19th century.

"Relatively temperature sensitive (and with the most of the host plants being frost sensitive too, but not all), it seems to be relegated in some specific areas, reason for still under investigation (the most likely being the above quoted sensitivity to low temperatures).

"In Italy, it is restricted to a very specific small area (8000 ha) in Salento, Apulia, still after six years of its outbreak.

"Professionals in Italy (Zelari amongst these) have been aware of this disease since the early stages (2011) of the outbreak, even before it became known to the majorities of the Plant Market operators. The disease is confined in 8000 hecatars in an area in Salento, in Apulia, and it has been confined there since the outbreak.

"All plants hit by Xylella had been immediately destroyed. And moving host plants from Salento is totally, and underline totally, forbidden.

"The rest of Italy is certified by our Ministry of Food, Agricultural and Forestry as Xylella-free.

"Professionals have been taking a serious conscious approach to avoid further diffusion of this threat. No plant material has been taken from the area (as forbidden by law anyway) nor from anywhere near the area where the disease is confined. This, has we feel and are very responsible for the environment and our industry: in Tuscany, we have 90.000 ha of olive crop, and we are world renown wine makers, Chianti one of the many; we cannot afford the diffusion of Xylella. In Pistoia, one of the heart of the nursery activity in Europe, plants business feeds 5.000 families: an outbreak would completely kill trade and cause dramatic microeconomy consequences. We must take the maximum possible care. And we are.

"ARPAT, the government regional phytosanitary authority for Tuscany, has been running routine random inspections as from 2014. In 2016 they did 1204 inspections, visiting 516 nurseries, including Zelari in several occasions. They also inspected 301 olive crops and 387 landscaping sites and public gardens. They collected 3,633 samples of 54 plant varieties plus 649 samples of vector insects. Total 4,312 samples: no track of infection. And inspections still continue.

"Most of the Nurseries, like we at Zelari, are also running their own regular tests.

"This threat cannot be underestimated. Responsibility cannot be fully finally dropped on the British nurseries. We are all fighting it together. We are totally on the same side of DEFRA and HTA."



Photos taken at Zelari Piante today, 16th October 2017

After months of speculation, Town & Country has been sold to EP Barrus.  As a result Jamieson and Barry Page (pictured above at Chelsea 2016) will be leaving the business.

Barry, who started Town & Country in 1960 has told customers:  "I am writing to let you know that we have sold the business. I personally want to thank you for the support that you have given to me and to Town & Country, whose success was created through the support of customers like yourselves.

"Customer support has been essential to the growth and development of Town and Country and it is extremely important to me that it will continue.  We are very lucky to have found a company whose ethos and culture is extremely compatible to that of Town & Country.

"The sale of the business to Barrus is fully supported by our employees who are positive about the future of the brand. The majority of the personnel will become employees of Barrus; and I will be working hard to ensure a smooth transition.  I look forward to meeting you at Glee where I can introduce you to the new Barrus team who have a wealth of experience in our industry."

The Town & Country brand will join Barrus’s current extensive line-up of leading garden machinery and garden tool brands including Cub Cadet, Lawnflite, Agri-Fab, WOLF-Garten, Wilkinson Sword and Energizer.

A statement from EP Barrus states:  "Town & Country offers one of the most comprehensive collections of gardening gloves and footwear. Continued investment and a focus on innovation have brought together a range that combines quality, functionality and style with exceptional value for money."

Robert Muir, Managing Director, E P Barrus Ltd. which celebrates its 100 year anniversary during 2017, commented: “The acquisition of Town & Country reinforces our commitment to the garden sector. This well-established household name has great synergy with our current line-up of premium gardening brands and provides the potential for future growth through existing and new distribution channels.”

Tim Hart, Director of Sales & Marketing said: “We are meeting the needs of gardeners by bringing premium brands together to offer a portfolio of high quality, innovative products.  Town & Country, like all our brands, will be fully supported by our operational expertise which enables us to offer excellent distribution service levels, and we will continue to build and develop the brand into the future.”

Barrus, which is part owned by US company MTD, will be represented across two stands at the forthcoming GLEE exhibition in September with Town & Country, and WOLF-Garten and Wilkinson Sword.

www.barrus.co.uk

www.townandco.com

www.mtdproducts.com

Choice Marketing held their Annual Conference & Trade Show over 3 days in early October at Jurys Hinckley Island Hotel.

A total of 160 delegates representing members, suppliers and the Greenfingers charity came together in an atmosphere of friendship and co-operation.

The Trade Show hosted 90 suppliers covering core gardening, plants, gifts, Christmas and catering. Key industry personalities from all sectors of the industry were in attendance. Choice announced the winners of their supplier of the year awards with Whartons scooping the Plant supplier accolade and Woodlodge winning the Sundries supplier award.

Michelle de Lavis-Trafford, Choice CEO, extended her thanks to members for their commitment to the Choice ‘Stronger together’ philosophy and for their total support for their suppliers.

Three new members who have joined the group since the last Conference were give a warm and enthusiastic welcome. They are Warbreck Garden Centre Ormskirk, Fron Goch Garden Centre North Wales and Fosseway Garden Centre Cotswolds.

To the delight of members, she announced that supplier rebates for the 2016/17 season are forecast to exceed £1.5million.

Greenfingers held a huge tombola with high quality prizes donated by Choice suppliers. Members, suppliers and even hotel staff and guests all joined in to support this worthy cause. John Ashley, Greenfingers Chairman, announced at the Conference Dinner that the total amount raised was over £1,000.

Pete Goss MBE, sailor, adventurer and international speaker gave the keynote Conference address. His truly inspirational talk included his participation in the

in the 1996/7 Vendee Globe non-stop single-handed round the world yacht race. The race took a dramatic turn resulting in Pete rescuing a French competitor in hurricane force winds for which he was awarded the MBE and Légion d’Honneur.

Garden centres who would like to know more about the benefits of membership of Choice Marketing should contact Michelle de Lavis-Trafford at info@choice-marketing.co.uk www.choice-marketing.co.uk

Oldrids & Downtown have submitted a planning application to South Kesteven District Council proposing an extensive and hugely exciting development of its site located adjacent to the A1 in Grantham.

The plans include the development of a 107 unit Designer Outlet Centre; a purpose-built Downtown@Home store; a reconfigured "Garden Centre of the Future"; an indoor leisure complex; a high-tech hub / managed office space for start-up businesses; a tourist information & visitor centre and a new training academy. The existing Downtown and Boundary Mill store will remain.

The scheme will deliver more than 1,700 new jobs as well as helping to secure the jobs of the 700 employees currently employed on the site. Downtown Grantham is the largest single-site employer in the area, with over 90% of employees residing locally.

Downtown say that the existing Garden Centre, which is one of the largest in the UK and a giant within the garden centre trade, presents significant potential. The design of the new store will take into account the needs and expectations of tomorrow’s customer and will look to deliver much more of an experience to its visitors.

Richard Broadhead, Managing Director of Oldrids & Downtown, is confident that the whole regeneration project can be delivered in a relatively short time-frame: “It is the right thing to do for Grantham, for Lincolnshire and for the whole region. Our project ticks all of the boxes in terms of employment, investment and economic benefit. We're in a great location with all the required infrastructure in place, so in terms of delivery we're ready to go. Included within the scheme will be an industry-leading and award-winning “Garden Centre of the Future".

Downtown hope to realise its plans as soon as possible, targeting the end of 2019.

Further details of the proposed scheme are available at www.downtowngranthamdesigneroutlet.com

Hot on the heels of the HTA National Plant Show, GTN Xtra called into the third Bunnings UK store at Hemel Hempstead which opened two weeks ago.  Steve Pitcher, ex Wyevale Garden Centres and B&Q, who was also at the plant show, has now joined the Bunnings Homebase team.

The "garden centre" at Hemel Hempstead is not as large as the one at St Albans Griffith Way and as a result garden products including ferts, chems and tools are inside in the main warehouse store.  The majority of the outside area is covered and when we visited plant stock levels were high with dutch trolleys packing the compost and hard product aisles.

The extensive range of BBQ's, BBQ accessories and garden furniture was clearly driving volume sales with several product shelves awaiting replenishment.

Cardboard box in-aisle product placenents also appeared to be well recieved by customers, prompting impulse pick ups during a store visit.

See our photo gallery of the Hemel Hempstead store below.

The next Bunnings UK opening will be at Milton Keynes where previously used warehouse space has been converted to make the old Homebase store even bigger for it's re-opening as Bunnings in a few weeks time.  Watch this sapce for another photo tour from GTN Xtra.

Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes committed by opportunist thieves. It can be very profitable for offenders and significantly costly for shops. Retail security firm Checkpoints Systems found that Britain’s shops collectively lose £800 million a year due to shoplifting.

Utilising data derived from data.police.co.uk, online shopping comparison site OnBuy.com investigated the total number of shoplifting offences that were recorded by 43 police forces/constabularies across England and Wales in the financial year of 2016-17 (April 2016 – March 2017). The police define shoplifting as “theft from shops or stalls”.

The research revealed that the Metropolitan Police had the highest number of shoplifting offences at an astounding 47,580 – the equivalent of 130 incidents a day –  followed by West Midlands Police, who had 19,741 reported incidences. In third, was Greater Manchester Police, with 18,002.

City of London Police had the lowest number of shoplifting cases, with only 729 reported – the equivalent of two occurrences every day. Dyfed-Powys Police had more than double the figure of City of London, with 1,533 offences. Ahead of them was Cumbria Constabulary, with 2,819 incidences.

Cas Paton, MD of OnBuy.com, said: “The figures are certainly fascinating. Shoplifting is more prevalent than we would like to think. Considering the amount of time and energy shops put into running various aspects of their operation daily, shoplifting is really an unfortunate occurrence for them. Whilst it may feel unavoidable, shops can certainly take various steps to prevent shoplifters from targeting them. Simple steps such as better staff training to identify potential shoplifters and storing high value items more securely can go a long way when dealing with the problem of shoplifters”.

OnBuy’s top five tips to effectively prevent and reduce shoplifting:

Training Train employees to watch out for typical shoplifters’ behaviours like paying more attention to their surroundings than the goods, repeatedly picking up then putting down the same item(s) and ignoring any attempts to help or engage with them.

Awareness Have a ‘meet and greet’ employee at the front of the shop, giving a clear indication to any potential shoplifter that staff are aware of them and paying attention to their actions/behaviour.

Audit  Carefully identify items that are most likely to be stolen, either through previous experiences or because of their high value. Make them a harder target for shoplifters, for example by storing them in cabinets with locks or keeping them behind the counter.

Signage Display an adequate number of signs throughout the store clearly stating that shoplifters will be prosecuted, to demonstrate your firm stance on the seriousness of the matter. Signs that say the store is protected by security cameras (even if they can’t be seen), will deter shoplifters.

Vantage Where possible, use low-level aisles so staff can see customers at all times. Use mirrors to highlight blind spots. Bright lighting will also make shoplifters feel like the spotlight is always on them.

Scotts Miracle-Gro’s finance chief in the US has re-iterated the company’s plans to sell its European business – but told investors: “We’re not looking to give it away.”

In a Q1 results conference call last week (Tuesday), Randy Coleman (executive VP and CFO) said: “We maintain our bias to exit the European marketplace, and as we said in the past, we've been marketing this business for some time. We still view this as a good business, and we're not looking to give it away. So anything we do must be based on an attractive valuation. I'm cautiously optimistic we will get something done, but I don't want to commit too much, too soon.”

He said he was still hoping for a deal “by spring” but they would continue to run the business if a buyer was not found, despite the adverse effect on the company’s operating margin.

CEO Jim Hagedorn suggested that if the company hit its targets this year, operating margin would increase by more than 250 basis points [2.5%]. “If we exit Europe, that improvement climbs to 350 basis points....I don't think you find a more sort of American company than us.”

During the call, Hagedorn confirmed he was a supporter of Donald Trump. “I voted for him largely because, I expected it to be good for our business, and I hope that turns out to be the case,” he said.

The sell-off is designed to enable the group to focus on its Stateside core business and new ventures, including its fast-growing hydroponics division. It will remove a significant distraction for the US company, but last week’s comments will reassure Miracle-Gro stockists that the company still regards its European business as a valuable commodity.

Conference call transcript source: www.SeekingAlpha.com

A host of catering experts will be showcasing the delights of plant-based cooking as well as offering their insights into how best to integrate vegan meals into the major catering and hospitality trades, at the UK’s first dedicated vegan Trade show,  VegfestUK Trade (Friday  20 October 2017, Olympia London).

Amongst the experts present at the Plant-Based Chefs Corner are:

Italian chef and Soho Radio host Aldo Zilli, alongside nutritionist, chef and author Christine Bailey, vegan caterer Shambhu’s founder Nishma Shah (pictured), 222 Veggie Vegan restaurant head chef Ben Asamani, Vantra restaurant founder and manager Lenny Phong, Amico Bio organic vegetarian Italian restaurant head chef Pasquale Amico, Tofurky chairman and founder Seth Tibbott, as well as vegan cheese maker Mel Rogers from Mel’s Kindness Kitchen.

Radio presenter, author and chef to the A-listers, Aldo Zilli specialises in Italian and vegetarian cuisine. Award-winning chef and restaurateur Aldo says: “Catering for vegans and those who eat a plant-based diet is an art form, and a specialised area, and as one of the first people to open a restaurant in the UK to cater for plant-based diets, I know all about it.

“I’m looking forward to sharing some of my secrets, experiences and recipes with you.”

This area of this inaugural event is tailored to those working in the catering and hospitality trades and the growing Cafe Culture movement. The Corner will include:

• A Vegan Mylk and Latte workshop, looking at the use of plant “milks” in lattes and other caffeinated drinks.
• A Vegan Meat session dissecting the different varieties of plant meats available in the market nowadays.
• A Vegan Cheese Making and Blind Tasting Workshop
• A Vegan Pastries, Cakes and Desserts session involving the making of veganised versions of the traditional favourites for every sweet tooth.
• An Italian masterclass demonstrating how Italian cuisine lends itself well to vegan cooking

• An Optimum Nutrition Vegan Options panel dissecting which vegan options are best for those looking for meals to power them through their hectic lifestyles in the long run.
• A panel discussion where industry experts from the vegan circles discuss the do’s and don’ts of catering for vegans in restaurants, cafes and other eateries as well as what vegans are looking for most when eating out.

It is the aim of the organisers that delegates will take away lots of delicious vegan recipes and useful ideas for incorporating vegan editions of everyday favourites into their own catering and hospitality businesses.

Registration is for trade professionals is here www.trade.vegfest.co.uk/registration. 

Amongst the experts present at the Plant-Based Chefs Corner are:

Italian chef and Soho Radio host Aldo Zilli, alongside nutritionist, chef and author Christine Bailey, vegan caterer Shambhu’s founder Nishma Shah, 222 Veggie Vegan restaurant head chef Ben Asamani, Vantra restaurant founder and manager Lenny Phong, Amico Bio organic vegetarian Italian restaurant head chef Pasquale Amico, Tofurky chairman and founder Seth Tibbott, as well as vegan cheese maker Mel Rogers from Mel’s Kindness Kitchen.

Radio presenter, author and chef to the A-listers, Aldo Zilli specialises in Italian and vegetarian cuisine. Award-winning chef and restaurateur Aldo says: “Catering for vegans and those who eat a plant-based diet is an art form, and a specialised area, and as one of the first people to open a restaurant in the UK to cater for plant-based diets, I know all about it.

“I’m looking forward to sharing some of my secrets, experiences and recipes with you.”

This area of this inaugural event is tailored to those working in the catering and hospitality trades and the growing Cafe Culture movement. The Corner will include:

• A Vegan Mylk and Latte workshop, looking at the use of plant “milks” in lattes and other caffeinated drinks.
• A Vegan Meat session dissecting the different varieties of plant meats available in the market nowadays.
• A Vegan Cheese Making and Blind Tasting Workshop
• A Vegan Pastries, Cakes and Desserts session involving the making of veganised versions of the traditional favourites for every sweet tooth.
• An Italian masterclass demonstrating how Italian cuisine lends itself well to vegan cooking

• An Optimum Nutrition Vegan Options panel dissecting which vegan options are best for those looking for meals to power them through their hectic lifestyles in the long run.
• A panel discussion where industry experts from the vegan circles discuss the do’s and don’ts of catering for vegans in restaurants, cafes and other eateries as well as what vegans are looking for most when eating out.

It is the aim of the organisers that delegates will take away lots of delicious vegan recipes and useful ideas for incorporating vegan editions of everyday favourites into their own catering and hospitality businesses.

Registration is for trade professionals is here www.trade.vegfest.co.uk/registration. 

Former directors James Barnes (right), Sharon Brown and Johnny Trotter joined current CEO Nicholas Marshall (left) at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh on wednesday last week at the launch of an Exhibition of the history of Dobbies and the unveiling of new branding for 2018.



The exhibition includes original records and flower show awards that were rescued from a skip during a previous office refurbishment covers the history of Dobbies from 1865 through to the re-branding that goes live in three stores initially in early 2018.



The exhibition will tour aroound all Dobbies stores during 2018.  Could that include a few new stores as Dobbies investors look to expand the group?  Watch this space...

See our picture gallery below for a flavour of the new branding.

During the evening event at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Nicholas Marshall spoke of their desire to "make Dobbies the leader in everything we do and plants are centre stage to our renaissance."  Adding "we already know that our customers would prefer to buy locally grown, Scottish plants and the weakness of the pound against sterling now gives our nursery men and women, a great opportunity. Scottish nurseries, we want to do business with you."  Read the full transcript below.

The Scottish Government Minister for business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse, also spoke at the event about the importance of the garden centre and plant trade.  "I am delighted Dobbies remains committed to its Scottish roots and Scottish supply chain."

Nicholas Marshall speech​ ​at​ ​the​ ​Royal​ ​Botanic​ ​Gardens​ ​Edinburgh 26th​ ​September​ ​2017

"Good evening Minister, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh. It is a great honour to be joined this evening by the minister for business, innovation and energy, Paul Wheelhouse.

"We have invited you here this evening to talk briefly (very briefly I promise you) about our plans for the future and to recognise and celebrate Scottish horticulture which in recent years has suffered from intense competition from abroad, notably Europe.

"We are at Edinburgh because it is the birthplace of horticulture in Scotland and dates back to the 17th century. Due to the hard work of generations of brilliant botanists, it is still today one of the world’s greatest botanical Gardens.

"There is another reason why we are here this evening and that is due to an extraordinary coincidence. Exactly 200 years ago two babies were born. One in Scotland and one in England. Both were educated in Scotland. One would found the oldest gardening business in Britain and the other would become a renowned plant hunter and botanist.

"James Dobbie at an early age was interested in growing plants and had some success at the Highland Agricultural Show in1840. He became Chief Constable of Renfrewshire in 1855 but his love of growing plants persisted and in 1865 started a seed business which flourished and enabled him in 1866 to give up his day job as Chief Constable. After James’s death Dobbies moved south to Kent where it continued to flourish. It wasn’t until 1934 that Dobbies moved north again to Edinburgh to where the head office is still located today. It was not until the latter part of the twentieth century that Dobbies became a household name under the stewardship of the Barnes family.

"The other baby born 200 years ago was Joseph Hooker, my great great grandfather. He was educated at Glasgow University where his father was professor of botany. I like to think that he bumped into James Dobbie in Glasgow, possibly at a flower show or more likely, at their age, in a bar. After university Joseph became a plant hunter travelling the globe and getting into all sorts of scrapes in his quest to bring back new plant species to Britain (the forerunner of the gap year).

"Prior to travelling to the Himalayas Joseph was persuaded by his father to apply for the post of Regius Keeper of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden due to the recent death of the incumbent Robert Graham. However much to the dismay of the entire international botanical community (and these are not my words) the chauvinist Edinburgh Town Councillors gave the job to a local boy, John Balfour.

"Now it is well known that my family do not bear grudges which is why we are here this evening, and anyway the prospect of travelling the world was a much more exciting prospect for a young man like Joseph.

"Based on his travels, Joseph wrote a book called Himalayan Journals which he sent to his closest friend to get his advice. His friend wrote back to him to say that he thought the book was excellent and complimented Joseph on his ability as a great botanist, geographer, artist and writer. However his friend continued with a word of warning. “Joseph, old chap, you may be all of the things I have mentioned above but your offer to dedicate the book to me shows your complete lack of commercialism. Joseph, you must find someone really famous to dedicate your book to who will thus help to sell your excellent work” Signed, your affectionate and admiring friend, Charles Darwin.

"Joseph was considered one of the greatest British botanists and for twenty years served as Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew.

"Dobbies has a long history and is a wonderful brand which attracts great loyalty from both customers and staff, an oasis in a world of cynical retailing. I have known and admired Dobbies all through my career, as I am a friend of James Barnes, who as you all know, was responsible for building Dobbies into a national brand. I am delighted to say that James, Sharon Brown and Johnny Trotter all previous directors are here this evening.

"Dobbies spent the last few years owned by Tesco but last summer it was acquired by private individuals including an old friend, Andrew Bracey who asked me in March if I would like to run Dobbies. I didn't need asking twice and jumped at the chance. I am very fortunate to have been joined at Dobbies by a host of old friends. Most of them have worked with me for many, many years and now, together with existing Dobbieites, form a very experienced, cohesive, loyal and vibrant team. There are also representatives here tonight from all our garden centres in Scotland and the north of England. From Inverness and Aberdeen in the north to Ayr and Carlisle in the west and Newcastle in the east.

"We are ambitious and completely aware of what we have to do and will work tirelessly to achieve it. We will cherish Dobbies and polish up the somewhat tarnished image of the last few years. Our ambition is to make Dobbies the leader in everything we do and plants are centre stage to our renaissance.

“Now is the time for British Nurseries to step up to the plate”, so wrote Horticulture Week, and they are right. I realise we live in uncertain times. Brexit is upon us and scare mongers are trying hard to frighten us BUT it is a real opportunity for the horticulture industry and we should grasp the nettle! We already know that our customers would prefer to buy locally grown, Scottish plants and the weakness of the pound against sterling now gives our nursery men and women, a great opportunity.

“Scottish nurseries, we want to do business with you” but we want a fresh approach. Our customers will support you but, in return, they deserve to be offered the best quality, range and value for money. We will work with you to provide what the customer wants. You will then be pushing at an open door. Our gardening market in the U.K. is worth 4 billion. The sky is, therefore, the limit.

"Brexit is an opportunity which should be grasped with both hands. This is the time for all of us to step up to the plate.

"Now, there was another Joseph Hooker, known as Joe, who was born a couple of years earlier than James and Joseph, in America, and a distant cousin of Joseph’s. His story was told to me by Catherine Hooker the internationally renowned dress designer. Joe was, she informed me, responsible for our good family name to be linked to a different trade altogether, but that is another story much too indelicate to be told here.

"General Joe Hooker, fought in the American Civil War and was promoted to command the army. His letter of promotion contains some exhortations which I would like to borrow this evening to encourage our Scottish nurseries to achieve success. You may guess the author from the eloquence of the hand; I quote “ I wish to place you at the head of the army. And yet I think it is best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which I am not quite satisfied, however I do believe you have the skill, confidence and ambition. Beware of rashness, beware of rashness but with energy and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victories” Yours very truly, Abraham Lincoln.

"I therefore would like to propose a toast to our nurserymen here tonight “ Dobbies needs you, your country needs you” . Ladies and Gentlemen “To our great Scottish nurseries”. Thank you."

This time last year planning was approved to turn Bridgford Garden Centre into one of the largest destination garden centres in the UK. Fast forward a year and spades are in the ground and steel is in the workshop gearing up to deliver this exciting new-build garden centre near Nottingham.

The new garden centre will combine retail with catering options as well as an extension to an on-site indoor play area and café – providing a fantastic destination for the whole family.

Visitors will have 9,500m² to browse in the main retail building, including a covered cold house plant area, with an additional 450m² available in the extended play barn.

The garden centre will be constructed by Newspan Building Solutions and will be a steel portal frame design, providing a spacious and bright feel to the internal areas.

The front of the garden centre will have decorative glazing which will provide a distinguishable and attractive welcome to visitors.

Bridgford will open its doors in 2018.

Australian Business media experts are asking questions about Bunnings in the UK after owners Wesfarmers revealed in its first quarter sales update that Bunnings United Kingdom and Ireland division had sales of £276 million in the first three months of the financial year, down from £320 million a year earlier.

BUNNINGS has hit a snag. The $700 million UK expansion is looking like a bad idea, with one analyst warning of “disaster” is the headline on news.com.au

Bunnings sustaining big sales losses with Homebase stores reports diysummit.org

Is Wesfarmers about to join a long list of Australian companies have entered the UK economy and been forced to retreat after missteps or worse? asks sharecafe.com.au

In the Wesfarmers 2018 First Quarter Retail Sales Results the company reports:

Total sales for the quarter were £276 million, a decrease of 13.8 per cent on the prior corresponding period. Store-on-store sales decreased 11.9 per cent.

The early trading performance of the first eight Bunnings Warehouse pilots is encouraging, with solid sales uplifts achieved across the pilot group. The coming months will test performance in different seasonal
conditions and BUKI will continue to patiently trial a range of formats, locations, and competitive environments to achieve proof of concept.

Bunnings Group Managing Director Michael Schneider said that, while still early days, the engagement of customers, suppliers, team members, and local communities with the Bunnings stores remains pleasing.
Despite steady sales in core home improvement and garden categories, Homebase’s trading performance relative to the previous comparable period was adversely affected by the significant clearance of
discontinued ranges last year.

“While the performance of Homebase is disappointing, we continue to be encouraged by the performance of the Bunnings pilots. The BUKI team remains focused on stabilising the performance of the Homebase
stores as well as delivering proof of concept for the Bunnings format,” Mr Schneider said.

There were 244 Homebase stores and eight Bunnings stores as at 30 September 2017. A total of 15 to 20 pilot stores are expected to be either trading or nearing completion by 31 December 2017, subject to
relevant approvals.

British MEP Anthea McIntyre has welcomed a last minute reprieve for glyphosate after it was belatedly granted a fresh licence for continued use across the European Union.

The decision to grant the herbicide a licence for a further five years was reached today (Mon) by the EU Commission's Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, comprising representatives of the 28 member states, after a series of meetings this year failed reach consensus. The approval comes just a few days before the current licence expires on December 15, which left many farmers fearing a sudden ban with drastic effects.

Miss McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, said: "The scaremongering and indecision over this product had left farmers and growers fearing they were staring over a cliff edge, so this will be greeted with enormous relief."

www.euronews.com reports that Germany swung the vote, coming off the fence after abstaining in previous meetings to oppose its key EU partner France, which wanted a shorter licence extension.

The Miss McIntyre, member of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee, said: "It should never have taken this long to renew the licence and it should have been renewed for a full 15 years but the last minute reprieve and the licence for five years is welcome.

"A *de facto *ban on glyphosate would have been a shocking and unscientific backward step.

"Farmers would have had to fall back on mechanical weed control. That would mean 25 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a significant impact on farm bird life - including skylarks, partridge, lapwing. 

"For a zero Improvement in public health and safety, we would have been worsening food security, soil quality, biodiversity and climate change."

It’s been a strange year, yet for all that an oddly exciting one when you begin to peer into the detail – a year of transition in which the garden industry has continued to adapt, albeit cautiously, to a rapidly changing retail world.

There is no doubt that the internet is steadily standing the retail industry on its head, but not necessarily in a predictable way. ‘Clicks and bricks’ has been a trend this year, as online retailers begin to understand why, how and when consumers still like to visit the high street, retail park…or garden centre.

Major garden centre operators are sharpening up their worldwide web presence and going transactional. Our garden centres have been relatively slow to embrace cyber retailing, allowing entrepreneurial web traders with little experience of the garden market to get a head start, but they’re learning fast – driven by the need to court the next generation of consumers, who will demand that the businesses vying for their loyalty are super net-friendly. Dobbies announced their new tie-up with Ocado would enable them to open an online store next year.

In garden centres across the UK, plant sales accounted for an ever declining share of turnover, while catering revenues carried on growing. Bents, who opened their first coffee shop in the 1980s, now turn over more than £6 million from 1000 covers at six locations around the centre. New catering facilities swallowed up massive percentages of garden centre development budgets in 2017. For the new Rosebourne group, which announced during the year that it will open its second site at Aldermaston near Reading in Autumn 2018, catering and food sales are as much part of it raison d’etre as the gardening element…if not more so.

However, the precarious balance between plants-and-gardening and gifts-and-leisure has clearly been exercising the minds of garden centre top brass through the year.

Centres like Notcutts and Coolings demonstrated that ultimate plant quality and horticultural expertise continue to be eminently saleable commodities. And in the autumn, Nicholas Marshall, whose adventures as the new CEO at Dobbies took up many column inches during the year, announced that his new strategy for the chain would put the focus back on plant sales, which he would like to see doubled.

Meanwhile, over at Wyevale Garden Centres , CEO Roger McLaughlan announced a new business strategy designed to shore up the 149-centre group’s finances after 2016’s £122.4m losses and what was described as an unsustainable growth strategy (mainly acquisition-driven). With refinancing in place, he wants to deliver a more compelling customer proposition and experience, invest in people, upgrade systems and improve the supply chain process. If that works, observers believe, Guy Hands at parent company Terra Firma will consider putting WGC back on the market.

With WGC’s wings clipped, few major independents changed hands in 2017 and many were happy to invest in a retail sector widely admired for its resilience in a struggling economy. Woodborough Garden Centre in Wiltshire became the Whitehall group’s third outlet; the Squires group and Groves at Bridport anounced ambitious plans for new restuarants; and in Northern Ireland, Hillmount added a third centre as it revealed plans to open a new store in an old church at Ards. Significant investment announced by the British Garden Centres Group for its East Durham GC at Easington could see the workforce there grow from 10 to 300. In Scotland, Caulders acquired its fifth centre, at Cupar.

On the supplier front, the biggest news of the year was undoubtedly the decision by Scotts to divest its international businesses, which includes Miracle-Gro in the UK. The news that the businesses had been delivered into the well-capitalised hands of Exponent Private Equity LLP was greeted with relief - we should never underestimate just how important the Miracle-Gro brand has been to the UK’s gardening market since Horace Hagedorn brought it here in the 90s, despite subsequent hiccups. Its consistent annual spend on TV advertising campaigns did much to drive footfall and develop sales in garden centres, DIY chains and the high street.

Barbecue specialists Weber aimed to do much the same for the al fresco dining market with a seven-figure TV ad spend over the summer.

Elsewhere on the supply side, Smart Garden Products demonstrated its hunger for growth under the guidance of Paris Natar by investing £20m in its new Eureka building at Peterborough, designed with a capacity for 40,000 pallets as the company eyes up an eventual turnover of £100m-plus.

Not to be outdone, Natar’s old company, Gardman (also based at Peterbough)  completed its new purpose-built distribution centre at Daventry, breaking long-established links with its previous home at Spalding and promising a better service from a modern, more centralised operation.

The transformation of wholesale distribution in the garden industry, forced by the collapse of Solus, has seen both Stax and Decco make strong gains. Stax’s latest win saw them pick up three of EP Barrus’s garden brands – Wolf, Wilkinson Sword and Town & Country (Barrus’s summer acquisition). As if by divine balancing, Decco announced it had done a deal with Town & Country arch rival Briers.

While we’re on the subject of distribution, SBM Life Science, now owners of the former Bayer garden products brands, agreed to  market the long-established MaxiCrop brand of seaweed-based growth stimulants in the UK. The growing popularity of seaweed-derived products (now sold by Westland, Mr Fothergill’s and others) is evidence of a swing towards ‘natural’ solutions. Westland, Miracle-Gro and SBM all embraced this trend  during the year.

The year’s wheeling and dealing also feartured diversification; seedsmen Mr Fothergill’s acquired the respected Darlac garden tools buisness, which will undoubtedly benefit from Mr F’s distribution network and marketing strength.

Garden centres who do well with chimenea sales will know how much this market niche owes to pioneering brothers John and Simon Goodwin who, aged 21 and 22,  set up La Hacienda in 1989 and sold it this summer for $11m to the Griffon Corporation of the US.

One of 2017’s most alarming headlines featured the threat to our gardens and nursery industry posed by the potential spread of the deadly bacterial plant disease xylella fastidiosa, for which there is as yet no known treatment. Efforts designed to prevent it from reaching these shores were redoubled, with the HTA launching a major information campaign to help all growers and importers of plants to put detailed precautions in place. The penalty for not being totally aware of the provenance of every plant you buy could well be horticultural decimation. You have been warned.

The industry looked on with interest as Aussie operators Wesfarmers began to transpose its Bunnings Warehouse template on a pilot group of Homebase stores, having trumpeted gardening as a prime element of the new format. The cost of assimilating Homebase, re-positioning product categories and launching the price-fighting Bunnings brand in a tight market resulted in big UK and Ireland losses early in thye year and a warning that profitabilty could be a long haul.

Once again, the garden industry showed itself to be a formidable charity supporter.. The organisers of Garden Re-Leaf Day said the annual spring fund-raiserand PR campaign had rasised more than half a million pounds for Greenfingers since the inaugural event in 2012.

Notable individual exploits included a courageous aercfraft wing-walk by Haskins garden centre group buying director Conna Powles, raising £6,200.

No review of the year is complete without a mention of Glee. The 2017 edition garnered plaudits from visitors and exhibitors alike, with many proclaiming it to be the best for years. The new Retail Lab feature was a resounding hit. As the show closed, we learned that it is to re-locate to different halls in 2018, when there will also be a mini-Glee at February’s Spring Fair.

The industry lost two respected names during the year.

Stephen Pickering, who worked  for Wyevale Garden Centres at York from 1994 until his retirement in 2012, died aged 70 after a six-year battler with cancer. He was one of the first employees at Challis of York in 1964 and was known throughout his career as “Steve from Challises”.

Alistair Lorimer, who died during the summer, had also battled cancer. A highlight of his 30-plus years in the garden centre and plants industry was his contribution to the development of the award-winning Blooms Bicester Avenue project. He later successfully turned his hand to consultancy.

Story reproduced from the December 2017/January 2018 edition of GTN.

GTN Xtra has been read by over 35,000 unique readers during 2017 with an average of 61,813 pages read each month and here are the Top 50 most read stories from another busy garden centre year. Thank you and a Happy New Year to all our readers, we will be back with our last issue of 2017 tomorrow, 31st December 2017.